PROFITABLE 
AUTHORSHIP 



HOW TO WRITE 
AND 

WHERE TO SELL 



SHORT STORIES 

AND OTHER MANUSCRIPTS 



HADLOCK 




Class JtU±S^ 
Book ~n-3» — 



PROFITABLE 
AUTHORSHIP 



HOW TO WRITE 

AND 
WHERE TO SELL 

SHORT STORIES 

AND OTHER 
MANUSCRIPTS 



BY 



Edwin Harvey Hadlock 



A Complete System and Course of 
Instruction for Students and Writers 



THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE 

HOME OFFICE 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 






COPYRIGHT 1910 

BY 

THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



©CI. A 25 9 



CONTENTS 



Book I 

Lesson Number One Page 8 

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 

Lesson Number Two Page Q 

SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL PROPRIETY. 

Lesson Number Three Page 12 

GRAMMATICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

Lesson Number Four Page 13 

HOW TO USE CAPITAL LETTERS. 

Lesson Number Five Page 14 

HOW TO PUNCTUATE PROPERLY. 

Lesson Number Six Page 18 

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS TO WRITERS. 

HOW TO WRITE A SHORT STORY. 
Lesson Number Seven Page 21 

THE SHORT STORY. 

Lesson Number Eight Page 22 

HOW TO CONSTRUCT A SHORT STORY. 

Lesson Nwnber Nine Page 25 

HINTS TO SHORT STORY WRITERS. 

Lesson Number Ten Page 27 

DONETS FOR SHORT STORY WRITERS. 

HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL. 
Lesson Number Eleven Page 2g 

HOW TO BEGIN THE PLOT. 

Lesson Number Twelve Page 33 

THE SCENE OF THE STORY. 

Lesson Number Thirteen Page 35 

THE NATURE OF THE STORY. 

Lesson Number Fourteen Page 36 

THE TITLE OF THE NOVEL. 

PLAY WRITING. 
Lesson Number Fifteen Page 39 

HOW TO WRITE A PLAY, BY FANNY CANNON. 

Lesson Number Sixteen Page 43 

GETTING INTO PRINT, BY JACK LONDON. 



6 CONTENTS. 

Lesson Number Seventeen Page 47 

WHY SOME MANUSCRIPTS ARE REJECTED THE REMEDY. 

Lesson Number Eighteen Page 5/ 

PREPARATION AND TOOLS OF THE TRADE. 

Lesson Number Nineteen Page 54 

LITERARY STYLE, BY FREDERICK HARRISON. 

Lesson Number Twenty Page §6 

HOW CAN I LEARN TO WRITE WELL? BY J. MATTHEWMAN. 

Lesson Number Twenty-One Page 58 

THE AUTHOR AND THE EDITOR. 

Lesson Number Twenty-Two Page 60 

A PLACE FOR ALL WRITERS. 

Lesson Number Twenty-Three Page 61 

HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN AUTHOR, BY W. D. HOWELLS. 

PRACTICAL PROOF READING. 
Lesson Number Twenty-Four Page 66 

HOW TO READ PROOF. 

Book II 

Markets for Manuscripts — Where to Sell Short 

Stories and Newspaper Articles Page 74 

Newspaper Syndicates Page 75 

The Largest and Best Paying Newspapers Page j6 

Household and Fashion Magazines Page JQ 

Mail Order Magazines Page 81 

Popular and Literary Magazines and Periodicals . .Page 81 
Agricultural, Horticultural, and Floral Period- 
icals Page 85 

luvenile Periodicals Page 88 

Sporting Periodicals Page 88 

Educational Periodicals Page 8g 

General Book Publishers Page go 

Our Complete Course in Short Story Writing. . .Page Q2 



Introduction 



Man is a creator and the author is an architect. He 
who builds railroads is just as truly a creator as he who 
builds worlds, and he who constructs a story is as truly 
a master mechanic as he who brings great structures or 
great cities into being. 

Most men who feel that life is a failure are they who 
have never created anything. To be a constant consumer 
and never a creator is to miss the mark in life. The men 
who dare things and do things find life worth while. 

So with the author, the inventor, the builder, the mer- 
chant, the professional man and all that multitude who 
are contributing something to the lives of others, they are 
making life so much richer for themselves. Of no class 
of people can this be more truly said than of the journal- 
ist and author. They are constantly creating, in whole or 
in part, what did not exist before and what would not 
have existed had it not been for them. 

Many people sometimes feel this impulse to express 
themselves through some form of literature. But with 
the majority the impulse scarcely survives its birth. Many 
do not write because they have no confidence in their 
ability. Others refrain from penning their thoughts be- 
cause they have never learned the art of expressing them 
on paper. While many others write truly good things 
but never bring them to the light because they do not 
know where to send their manuscripts for publication. 

To help all these classes I have prepared the follow- 
ing lessons. After studying them carefully the self-depre- 
cating person will be inspired by the information received 
to put his acquired knowledge into practice. Those who 
have never mastered the rudiments of composition will 
here find the specific instruction they need, and gain the 
inspiration to do their best in literary expression. While 
those whose feet have already climbed the mount of their 
literary desire will here find definite and profitable in- 
formation which will clear the horizon and show them 
the Promised Land of Publication. 



Profitable Authorship 



LESSON NUMBER ONE. 



THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 

The English language is a composite tongue. In its 
rich vocabulary one finds words from the four corners of 
the earth ; for the English people have penetrated all the 
world. 

But our English of today is made up largely of Anglo- 
Saxon words and Latin derivatives. Among the thirty- 
eight thousand words in our language, about twenty-three 
thousand are of Anglo-Saxon origin. Among the rest 
there are many words which claim a Greek origin, but 
the large proportion are of Latin derivation. 

Our stoutest and strongest words contain the blood of 
the hardy Anglo-Saxon race. The names of the most 
striking objects in visible Nature and the chief agencies 
at work there are Anglo-Saxon. This language gives us 
the names of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon and 
stars, and to three out of the four elements, earth, fire 
and water; to three out of the four seasons, spring, sum- 
mer and winter, and to all the natural divisions of time 
except one, such as day, night, morning, evening, twilight, 
midday, sunrise and sunset. Many of its expressions con- 
cerning natural objects are extremely poetical. To the 
Anglo-Saxon we are also indebted for the names of light, 
heat, cold, frost, rain, snow, hail, thunder, lightning, as 
well as most of the objects which form the component 
parts of the beautiful in external scenery, as sea and land, 
hill and dale, wood and stream. Here also do we find 
our tenderest terms and the strongest and most powerful 
expressions of feeling; the names of common emotions 
and family relations and the deepest expressions of the 
soul. 

It is also the language of commerce and everyday busi- 
ness. Many of its terms are short, crisp, forceful and 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 9 

as pointed as arrows shot from Northman's bow. In fact 
our most virile and energetic language comes from the 
Anglo-Saxon. While our politer forms of speech, our 
terms of diplomacy and drawing-room expressions, have 
been given us by the Grecian and the Latin tongues. For 
these politer people of the Latin race the student need 
.•have but little concern. His chief aim should be to use 
words that convey thought, express ideas and voice deep 
feelings; words that throb with life, breathe with power 
and burn like fire. Such are not the long, high-sounding 
terms of Latin derivation, but the pure Anglo-Saxon 
words and phrases which have held sway over the minds 
and hearts of the most energetic people of the world. 



LESSON NUMBER TWO. 



SPELLING AND GRAMMATICAL PROPRIETY. 

Spelling and grammar are supposed to be among the 
acquired possessions of nearly everyone who entertains 
literary ambitions. And yet, some noted authors have won 
success without great proficiency in either of these direc- 
tions. Both, however, are very important. If the student 
has never been educated in spelling he should secure some 
small dictionary and master its contents. He need not 
devote long hours to its study each day, but by taking a 
few pages daily for his lesson he will easily acquire valu- 
able information in a short time. There is no better habit 
for anyone who desires to be accurate in the use of words 
than the "dictionary habit." This study adds to one's 
vocabulary, teaches him orthography and to be particular 
in his use of words. It is also a very interesting study 
after one has perused it for awhile. He does not need 
a large Webster's or Century Dictionary. They are too 
cumbersome. The Students' Standard, published by Funk 
& Wagnalls, is the best medium-sized dictionary. And 
their Vest-Pocket Standard Dictionary is, to my mind, the 
best small dictionary. It contains nearly all the words 
one needs, and is so convenient that one can study it on 



io PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

the cars or in any public place where leisure is forced 
upon him. 

Then, too, everyone of literary tastes should have a 
usable knowledge of grammar. I say usable, for there 
is a vast difference between knowing grammatical rules 
and knowing how to write. The best education in gram- 
mar is not learned from text books but from people. Cul- 
tivated people always speak properly, though they may 
not know the first rules of grammar. Listening to public 
lectures, sermons and addresses is helpful to the student. 
Also reading good books with this thought in mind, as 
well as association with cultivated people, will all increase 
the student's accuracy of speech or writing. But in addi- 
tion to these helps he should have daily practice in 
writing. 

As a foundation for the student's efforts in this direc- 
tion I would call his attention to the following general 
principles, too often violated by people who have passed 
through the grammar grades in school. 

I. In determining the number of a verb, give atten- 
tion to the idea which is embraced in the subject, or nom- 
inative. Whenever the idea is plural whether it be ex- 
pressed in one word or a hundred, however connected, all 
verbs relating to it must be made to agree, not with the 
number of the word or words, but with the number of the 
ideas conveyed by the words. 

II. In the use of pronouns the same is true. The 
number of the pronoun must coincide with the idea con- 
tained in the word, or words to which the pronoun re- 
lates; e. g., "Each of them in his turn receives the benefit 
to which he is entitled." "Every person, whatever be 
their (his) station, is bound by the duties of morality." 

III. In the use of words and verbs which express time, 
care should be taken that the proper tense be employed 
to express the time that is intended. Even some good 
writers violate this rule. The author of Waverley 
Novels has this sentence : " 'Description,' he said, 'was 
(is) to the author of a romance exactly what drawing 
and tinting were (are) to a painter.' " 

IV. Whenever several verbs belonging to one common 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP u 

subject should occur in a sentence, the subject or nom- 
inative should be repeated whenever there is a change in 
the mood, tense or form of the verb. 

V. Care should be taken in the use of the comparative 
and superlative degrees. When but two persons are com- 
pared never use the superlative, as in the following sen- 
tence : "Catherine and Mary are both well attired; but, 
in their appearance, Catherine is the neatest (neater), 
Mary the most (more) showy. 

VI. Neuter and transitive verbs should never be used 
in the passive form. The best writers never say, "John 
was gone" or "The tree is grown." John had gone, — the 
tree has grown. 

VII. In using the irregular verbs one should dis- 
tinguish between the imperfect tense and the perfect par- 
ticiple. It grates on the cultivated ear like filing a saw 
to hear people say, "He done it at my request." "He run 
a great risk." 

VIII. The negative adverb should be followed by the 
negative conjunction. "The work is not capable of pleas- 
ing the understanding, or (nor) the imagination." The 
following sentence is evidently faulty: "I cannot deny 
but that I was in fault." 

IX. All parts of a sentence should be so constructed 
that there shall appear to be no want of agreement or 
connection among them. Thus in the sentence, "If a man 
have a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray," we 
have a disagreement between have, the subjunctive, and 
the indicative goes. No definite rules can be given here, 
but a good ear and common sense should be sufficient 
guide. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 



LESSON NUMBER THREE. 



GRAMMATICAL SUGGESTIONS. 

The student should avoid involved and clumsy sen- 
tences. Do not say, "The object your brother had in 
writing the letter," but "your brother's object in writing 
the letter." 

Prefer "Nobody's else book" to "Nobody else's book." 
Prefer "The father of John, William and James" to 
"John, William and James's father;" "Why he should 
have suddenly renounced his faith" to "Why he should 
suddenly have renounced his faith." 

Do not use like for as. Say, "As did Nero of old, so," 
etc. ; not "Like Nero of Old," etc. 

It is awkward to say, "This is a far richer man than 
his brother." "This man is far richer than his brother" 
is better. 

The or in whether — or may be omitted, but good use 
advises that it be expressed. Thus — "I do not know 
whether he will come or not" is better than "I do not 
know whether he will come." 

Do not say, "No greater or wiser a man ever lived," 
but, "No greater or wiser man." 

Use will and shall with discrimination. A good rule 
in the choice of these words is this : "If the speaker is 
nominative to the verb, and also determines the ac- 
complishment of the idea expressed by the verb; or, if 
the speaker neither is nominative to the verb, nor de- 
termines the accomplishment of the idea expressed by the 
verb, use will. In all other cases use shall. Say, "It 
should seem that he has done so;" not, "It would seem 
that he has done so." Say, "I shall be pleased to see 
you;" not, "I will be pleased to see you." The idea of 
willingness, or volition, is expressed in the word pleased. 
To repeat the same idea in will would be tautology. 

Who or which may sometimes, to avoid undue repeti- 
tion, be used for that ; but that ought never to be used for 
who or which. After personal pronouns prefer who or 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 13 

which : "He who is wise," etc. After the conjunction 
that prefer who or which; e. g., "He said that the man 
who saw him," etc. 

In the construction of sentences be simple and direct. 
Three things should be observed — purity, propriety, and 
precision. Purity consists in the employment of pure 
English words, and English idioms. Propriety in writ- 
ing consists in the use of the accepted words and expres- 
sions, as used by the best authors. And precision means 
the writing of clear, concise statements of thought, per- 
fectly intelligible to every reader. 

The pure sentence contains no words from dead or 
foreign languages. The proper sentence contains no low 
or slang expressions, technical terms, or ambiguous 
phrases. The precise sentence expresses the exact thought 
of the author. 



LESSON NUMBER FOUR. 



HOW TO USE CAPITAL LETTERS. 

The proper use of capital letters is an indication of 
culture. To omit them where they should be used pro- 
claims the ignorance of the writer, and to use them with- 
out discrimination reveals a serious lack of education. 

The following simple rules will greatly assist the stu- 
dent in using capital letters properly. 

The first word of every sentence should begin with a 
capital. The names of months and the days of the week 
should begin with a capital. 

The names and appellations of Deity, as God, the 
Holy Spirit, Providence, and the Supreme Being, should 
begin with a capital. 

All proper names, such as the names of persons or 
places, rivers or mountains, cities and countries should 
begin with capitals. 

The first word of a direct quotation should begin with 
a capital. 

The principal words in the titles of books and all sub- 
jects should begin with a capital. 



14 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

The first word in every line of poetry should begin 
with a capital. 

The pronoun "1" and the interjection "O" are always 
capitalized. 

In fact any words especially emphatic in any title or 
subject should begin with capitals. 



LESSON NUMBER FIVE. 



HOW TO PUNCTUATE PROPERLY. 

Punctuation is very essential in conveying the meaning 
of Sentences. Mistakes in punctuation sometimes work 
havoc with a good composition. A Mr. Sharp once en- 
graved a portrait of a certain Richard Brothers. He sent 
with it a statement intended as a compliment to the sub- 
ject. Imagine the surprise of the Reverend Mr. Brothers 
when he read the accompanying note punctuated thus : 
"Believing Richard Brothers to be a prophet sent, by 
God I have engraved his portrait." 

The student will be materially helped if he will re- 
member that marks of punctuation are used to denote in- 
flections of the voice in reading a composition aloud, and 
to express the meaning of the written words. They 
should be used sparingly and not thrown together like 
potatoes in a hill, all sizes and shapes awaiting assort- 
ment. 

A recent writer has wittily said on this subject: "In 
punctuation cultivate the period as you would cultivate the 
rose. Use as many as you can without reminding your 
readers of a convict breaking rocks on a rock pile. A 
comma occasionally is all right ; there is no harm in a 
comma, but you should keep it at arm's length like a sus- 
picious acquaintance, and never permit it to be on aught 
closer than speaking terms with you. As to semicolons 
and colons treat them as strangers." 

There is some wisdom in these words. Nevertheless 
we must use all the marks of punctuation sometime and 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 15 

a few general rules may help us to use and not to abuse 
this essential form of expression. 

POINTS ON PUNCTUATION. 

Use a comma before or, when the expressions between 
which it occurs refer to the same person or thing. Thus : 
"Jones or Smith was there" (no comma) ; but, "Saul, or 
Paul" (comma). 

Put a comma after a proposition forming the subject 
of a verb. Thus : "That he went, is not certain." 

Use no comma after short and closely connected ad- 
jectives qualifying the same noun. Thus: "A good old 
hale hardy man." 

Use a comma before a quotation closely dependent 
upon such introductory words as say, cry, tell, e. g. : The 
man said, "I am an American." (With such quotations, 
especially if brief, the quotation marks are generally 
omitted.) Before a direct quotation, i. e., one not closely 
dependent upon introductory words, such as say, will, 
cry, etc., use a colon ( :). When the quotation is poetry 
a dash ( — ) often follows the colon ( :) . 

As a general rule, the subject of a verb must be ex- 
pressed in every clause preceded by a semicolon ( ; ) . 
But when there are several clauses or phrases marked off 
by semicolons, the subject may be omitted to avoid repeti- 
tion. The subject of a verb may be understood before a 
comma. 

Use a comma usually when any words of the sentence 
could be omitted without destroying the sentence. Paren- 
thetical clauses should be marked off by commas. "The 
King, who was a noble man, sat grandly on his throne." 
Also use commas to indicate any short pause or omission, 
but do not use them too freely. 

Use a semicolon, and not a comma, in the following 
cases: (1) Before reasons; e. g., "Economy is no dis- 
grace; for it is," etc. (2) Between two opposite clauses, 
when an adversative conjunction introduces the second 
clause; e. g., "Feathers swim on the surface; but gold 
sinks to the bottom." 

A colon ( :), not a semicolon, should be used when the 
clause or phrase which follows the remark expresses an 



16 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

effect, or when it is in the form of an analogy, or is a 
parallel to what it precedes. "He lived a noble life : he 
died a happy death." "The flowers bloom and wither: 
so it is with the life of man." In fact a colon should be 
considered a little period, or a substitute, which may take 
its place occasionally. 

Ordinarily use brackets, and not parentheses, when, in 
a quotation, you wish to insert words improperly omitted 
by the author. Also when you wish to insert words 
omitted by yourself. "The man [Mr. James] was very 
rich." Parentheses could also be used in this case, and 
should be employed usually, where extraneous words are 
inserted. 

When both brackets and parentheses are employed, the 
brackets enclose the parenthesis: [( — )]. 

Parentheses, brackets and dashes do not affect the gen- 
eral punctuation of the sentence in which they are used. 

A punctuation mark may be used before, but should 
never follow a dash. 

The question mark (?) is to be used after every direct 
question. "I suppose, Sir, you are a clergyman?" Also 
after every sentence which contains a question ; as, 
"What have you in your hand?" 

The apostrophe is an inverted comma, placed over a 
word to denote the omission of a letter, or letters ; as, 
"John's," "tho' " for though; "I'll," for I will. Plurals 
of two, three, etc., are written without apostrophe; as, 
"Twos," "threes." But when the figures are used the 
apostrophe must be inserted — 2's, 3's, etc. 

Words are to be hyphenated when the second sub- 
stantive, expressing a compound idea, has lost or changed 
its accent : — shop-builder, iron-worker. The hyphen must 
also be put at the end of the line when a word is 
divided : — extraor-dinary. But the letters of a syllable 
must never be divided; as, ext-raordinary. 

The dash ( — ) was originally used to express a sud- 
den stop, or change of the subject. But now it is em- 
ployed by many writers as a substitute for most all of the 
other marks : being used sometimes as a comma, semi- 
colon, colon, period, etc. It is generally used in news- 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 17 

papers in place of parentheses, except in certain easily- 
understood cases. 

The exclamation point ( !) should be used not only 
to express sudden emotion, but also feelings of sadness, 
awe and reverence; as, "Ah me! how soon we pass!" "O 
blissful day !" 

Marks of quotation (" — ") should accompany every 
introduction of another author's words : inverted commas 
(") being placed at the left, and apostrophes (") at the 
right of the quotation. When a quotation contains several 
paragraphs, inverted commas should be used at the be- 
ginning of each paragraph, but the apostrophes should be 
omitted after all the paragraphs except the last. The 
same rule applies to several stanzas of poetry in one 
quotation. A quotation within a quotation is indicated 
by single marks — " 'thus' ". 

The section mark ( § ) is not often used, but may be em- 
ployed to designate the separate sections of a composition. 

The paragraph mark (ff) may be used for a similar pur- 
pose, but is chiefly employed by modern writers to desig- 
nate on the manuscript where paragraphs should be 
made. 

It is proper here to add, that every composition should 
be carefully divided into paragraphs, each paragraph de- 
noting the beginning of a new subject. Long paragraphs 
are tiresome to the eye and the mind. Therefore, mul- 
tiply paragraphs as frequently as consistent. Be sparing 
with most marks of punctuation, but be liberal, not 
lengthy, with your paragraphs. 

The student should also understand the principles of 
underscoring words in manuscripts. An underscore is an 
emphasis. Therefore, do not underscore words in your 
manuscript that you would not especially emphasize in 
your speech. 

A single line drawn under a word indicates that it must 
be set by the compositor in italics. Two lines indicate 
small capitals. Three lines indicate large capitals; as, 
" 'Victory, Victory, VICTORY,' I cried." 



18 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 



LESSON NUMBER SIX. 



GENERAL SUGGESTIONS TO WRITERS. 

Never write for publication unless you have something 
to say. In other words be conscious of a purpose in writ- 
ing. 

Never write about commonplace things in a common- 
place way. Someone has said that to be successful one 
must, "Either write new things in an old way, or old 
things in a new way, or new things in a new way." 

Authors as well as newspaper men should cultivate 
crispness and brevity. They should stick to short words, 
short sentences and short paragraphs. 

To avoid confusion report a speech in the first, not in 
the third person. 

Avoid words with several meanings. 

Avoid the excessive use of adjectives. 

Avoid prospective use of it. Say, "To give is good," 
not "It is good to give." 

Avoid ending a sentence with a preposition. It is per- 
fectly proper at times, but should be rather an indulgence 
than a regular practice. 

Avoid the excessive use of there is, there are, there will 
be. 

Place emphatic words in emphatic positions : at the 
beginning or end of the proposition. "Coward that he 
was, he was forced to fight," is much stronger than, "He 
was forced to fight, although he was a coward." 

Avoid short, "choppy" endings, which spoil the rhythm 
that should exist even in prose. 

Avoid a monotonous final emphasis. Express your 
ideas occasionally in questions. Also cast your thoughts 
into other forms which will break the monotony of dis- 
course. 

Cultivate metaphors for the sake of brevity, and variety 
for the sake of interest. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 79 

PREFERABLE WORDS AND PHRASES. 

Prefer approve to approve of. 

Prefer aside to apart. "He took me aside." "He took 
the clock apart." 

Prefer arise to rise. "Greece arose from her ashes." 

Prefer begin to initiate. 

Prefer begin to commence. 

Prefer become to grow — "He becomes rich and wise." 

Prefer come into collision to collide. 

Prefer believe to think — "I believe it is so." 

Prefer body (dead) to corpse or remains. 

Prefer buy to purchase. 

Prefer coffin to casket. 

Prefer controverter to controversionalist. 

Prefer dwell or live to reside. 

Prefer enlarge upon to dilate upon. 

Prefer forbid to prohibit. 

Prefer forward, backward, toward, to forwards, back- 
wards, towards. 

Prefer graceful to elegant, when speaking of the body 
and its movements. 

Prefer Hebrew to Jew, when speaking of the race. 

Prefer house to residence. 

Prefer inform to advise (in letters, etc.). Advise has 
a double meaning. 

Prefer kinsman, kinswoman, kinsfolk, to relative, rela- 
tion. 

Prefer last two weeks, last two months, to past two 
weeks, etc. 

Prefer lenity to leniency. 

Prefer loose to unloose. 

Prefer leading article or leader to editorial. 

Prefer lengthwise, sidewise, to lengthways, etc. 

Prefer the morrow to to-morrow (as a noun). "The 
morrow will suit me." 

Prefer the months by name to ult., prox., inst. 

Prefer oneself to one's self. 

Prefer oversee to supervise. 

Prefer offensive to obnoxious. 



so PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Prefer ordinal numbers to cardinal numbers at the 
heading of letters. Write March 24th, or the 24th, rather 
than 24. 

Prefer rich to wealthy. 

Prefer railway to railroad. 

Prefer seeming to apparent. 

Prefer say to remark or observe (to remark and observe 
mean to notice). 

Prefer station to depot. 

Prefer truthfulness to veracity. (Veracity should be 
used of persons only.) 

Prefer thus to so. (He does it thus.) 

Prefer various or diverse to different. (Different 
should be confined to the meaning of differing from.) 

Prefer vacant to empty, of buildings uninhabited. 

Prefer would rather or should rather to had rather. 

Prefer with reference to, to in reference to. 

In general prefer short words and phrases to long 
words and phrases, simple sentences to involved sentences, 
and plain language to fine writing. 

For variety in expression I would advise a careful study 
of the dictionary, with special reference to the different 
shades of meaning in words. Also the study of some good 
book of synonyms. A very good and inexpensive work 
of this nature is Conklin's "Synonyms and Antonyms," 
published by David McKay of Philadelphia. 



How to Write a Short Story 



LESSON NUMBER SEVEN. 



THE SHORT STORY. 

The short story is the most popular form of fiction 
today. Nor is it of modern origin. The legends of 
ancient people, the stories of the Old Testament, and the 
tales of the wandering wise men of the East, all bear 
record of the antiquity of this form of fiction. 

But the short story in its modern form has become 
especially popular during the last quarter of a century. 
Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne were the first 
authors in recent times to place emphasis upon short 
stories. Both of these authors were master workmen in 
the art of short story construction. But the special popu- 
larity of the short story has come to the front in our 
own time. The multiplication of modern magazines, and 
the special Sunday editions of the great daily newspapers, 
account largely for this wave of popular interest in this 
form of literature. 

Then, too, short stories are in keeping with the de- 
mands of our rushing age. People must have something 
to read, but they haven't time to wade through a lengthy 
novel. The long-sustained story is also too great a strain 
upon their over-worked minds. Therefore, the short and 
complete story meets their hearty approval. Nor has the 
wave of the short story's popularity reached its height, 
for there is a growing and rapidly increasing demand for 
short stories, which authors and publishers have not yet 
been able to meet. 

Here is a field for every aspiring wielder of the pen. 
Those who would not dare attempt anything so ambitious 
as a lengthy novel may try their growing wings in this 
shorter flight. 

It is also a more profitable field for the average writer. 



22 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

An author is often paid as much for a short story as he 
earns from the copyrights of a novel, and it costs him less 
than one-tenth the labor. 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHT. 



HOW TO CONSTRUCT A SHORT STORY. 

The principles which underlie the construction of a 
short story are practically those which give shape to the 
more ambitious novel : for the short story is really a 
novelette. Every work of fiction, long or short, depends 
for its charm and power upon one of three elements, 
namely : the characters, the plot, the setting. 

There must be certain persons, doing certain things, 
under certain conditions. The author simply tells us 
about these people, and what they do under these con- 
ditions. 

The wise author creates vivid characters and starts 
them into action. The masters of fiction know how to 
beget real men and women, and to make them march 
toward events, with the earth beneath their feet and the 
sky above their heads. The record of that march is the 
story which holds our interest, when it is well told, 
whether it be long or short. 

THE CHARACTERS OF A STORY. 

Let us consider the first potential element in the con- 
struction of a story — the characters. The charm of some 
stories is entirely in the picturesqueness and uniqueness 
of their characters- Such might be termed character 
stories. But the characters must be strong or original 
indeed if they are to be the chief charm of the story. 
Especially is this true of the short story. Here we haven't 
time to become acquainted with apparently commonplace 
an uninteresting characters. To be sure, they may be 
made interesting in a more lengthy narrative. But who 
would wade through "The Newcomes," or "The Anti- 
quary," until he became acquainted with the characters, 



■PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 23 

if he did not have faith in Thackeray and Scott, and be- 
lieve that they knew their business? 

In the words of George Eliot, "These commonplace 
people have conscience, and have felt the sublime prompt- 
ing to do the painful right." But such characters sel- 
dom have a place in the short story. It takes us too long 
to appreciate them. 

The writer of the short story, therefore, should usually 
choose picturesque, and not colorless characters. 

If he is writing a love story it must not take too long 
for the hero and the heroine to become acquainted. They 
must soon begin their decisive battle. 

But the author of the short story need not depend upon 
character-drawing for effect. If his plot be sufficiently 
entertaining, comical, novel, thrilling, the characters may 
be commonplace, and yet the story remain a work of art. 

The same may also be true if we turn to the third ele- 
ment of effect in fiction; namely, the circumstances or 
events enveloping the characters and action of the tale. 
Such is the nature of the short story that both characters 
and action may be almost without significance, providing 
the atmosphere, the place and time and background is 
artistically portrayed. 

But to realize this the author must step out of the 
beaten paths for the setting of his story. Let him discover 
a new corner of the world, and all the world will run to 
his corner to see what it contains. The simple "Adirondac 
Stories" of Mr. Demming and Mr. Murry have local set- 
tings which make them charming. The same is true of 
the tales of Miss Wilkins. People read her stories not so 
much because they care for her characters, as to get a 
good breath of "New England air." 

A HAPPY BLENDING OF THESE ELEMENTS. 

Many writers of the highest rank avail themselves of 
all three of these modes of impression. In Bret Harte's 
"Luck of Roaring Camp," Aldrich's "Marjorie Daw" and 
Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King," all three of 
these elements are happily blended, making a work of art 
whose charm defies analysis. 



24 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

THE STRUCTURE OF THE STORY. 

Every story, like an architectural structure, must be 
builded according to a plan. The architect who works 
without plans will soon have to plan for some other kind 
of work. 

So the literary artist must plan his work and work his 
plan if he would succeed in his vocation. 

The first thing for him to do is to select his subject. 
This may come as an inspiration, or it may be carefully 
selected from a number of themes. In all probability 
each subject will come in a different way. 

He must next take into consideration the matter of 
economy. How few characters, not how many, must be 
his consideration. And then, how to compact his material, 
will also demand attention. 

He will next select the point of view, from which to 
tell his tale — whether he will depend for interest upon 
the characters in the story, the action of its movement, or 
its setting. 

Or again, whether he shall not try to strike the happy 
medium between the greatest economy of means and the 
utmost emphasis. In any event to conserve the emphasis, 
he must, in planning the narrative step by step, be guided 
by the principle of emphasis in all its parts. 

Above all things the author should be perfectly natural. 
He should build according to a pattern, but it must be 
his pattern, and it should not cost him great effort to tell 
the story, for it should tell itself. 

Such, in brief, are the principles which underlie the 
construction of the short story. In our complete course, 
under the instruction of Dr. Esenwein, Editor of Lippin- 
cott's Magazine, the student gets a thorough knowledge 
of the subject and practical drill in short story writing. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 



LESSON NUMBER NINE. 



HINTS TO SHORT STORY WRITERS. 

Infuse a live element into every story. If in a story of 
3,000 words you have one situation that will tingle the 
nerves and cause the heart to throb, a situation that will 
cause the reader to take a more lively interest in the joys 
and sorrows of the creatures of your imagination, you 
have the elements of a good story. 

In telling a story get at its heart at once. Strike the 
key note at the beginning. Have action at the outset and 
continue it to the end. The short story has but little 
room for descriptive work, and still less for preaching or 
moralizing. Let your characters explain themselves and 
tell their own story. 

Do not make a short-story too long. It is rare that 
any publication cares for a story of more than 6,000 words. 
This will make about eight pages of the average magazine, 
without illustrations, and considerably more with them. 

Household and domestic journal stories may run from 
1,500 to 5,000 words. Literary weeklies may use from 
2,000 to 3,000 words. Syndicate newspapers use stories 
containing from 3,500 words down to 1,500 or 1,000 
words. 

Don't overwork the tragic element in your stories. The 
average young writer seems to have a predilection toward 
the sad and tragic aspects of life. It is said that tragic 
stories amount to fully ninety per cent, of all the fiction 
offered for sale. It is not strange, therefore, that editors 
are glad to get stories that show the lighter and brighter 
phases of human life. 

Nor is it wise to tell the editor that yours is a "true 
story." He is not looking for fact, but for fiction. Nar- 
rative stories of fact belong in the news columns, not in 
the fiction department. 

Young writers sometimes make the mistake of telling the 
editor that the story was written in a very short time, to 
enable him to know what a genius is budding. He usually 



26 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

doesn't need to be told how little real effort went into 
such a story after he has glanced at it. Good stories are 
seldom written before breakfast or even after dinner, if 
that meal be taken in the evening. 

It is not worth one's while to spend much time, at 
present, on "dialect stories." A few years ago they were 
quite the vogue, but today a dialect story can hardly be 
sold. 

Felicity of expression and fidelity to life are the de- 
sirable requisites now in salable fiction. 

The editors of our chief periodicals are quite explicit 
in defining the kind of contributions desired. Thus the 
editor of Munsey's Magazine says: "We want stories. 
That is what we mean — stories, not dialect sketches, not 
washed-out-studies of effete human nature, not weak 
tables of sickly sentimentality, not 'pretty' writing. This 
sort of thing in all its varieties comes by the carload every 
mail. It is not what we want, but we do want fiction in 
which there is a story, action, force — a tale that means 
something : in short, a story." 

While the Harpers outline their opinion of a desirable 
story thus : 

1. A well developed plot. 

2. Good characterization. 

3. Good, vigorous English. 

4. A moral tone. 

5. A happy or artistic ending. 

6. A well selected title, perhaps one which would 
arouse curiosity. 

Upon the technique of the short story we cannot put 
too much emphasis. It is asserted that a professor of 
rhetoric and English in one of our leading universities 
said lately, that the story of the future would be made 
up almost entirely of conversation. "Write your story as 
long as you please," said the professor, "then substitute 
conversation for description wherever you can." 

Another writer upon this point has appositely said: 
"It is not necessary to say that a woman is a snarling, 
grumpy person. Bring the old lady in and let her snarl." 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 2; 

POINTS TO REMEMBER. 

Send your stories to the appropriate periodicals. Study 
the appended list and decide where to send your produc- 
tions. 

Number your pages in your manscript, and write your 
name and address on the upper right hand corner. 

On the upper left hand corner write the approximate 
number of words in the story. The ideal length is from 
three to four thousand words. 

Do not fasten the pages together, nor roll the manu- 
script. Send it flat and enclose sufficient postage for its 
return, should it not be accepted. 

Should the manuscript be returned soiled, re-write it 
and try another publisher. 

Always give careful heed to spelling, punctuation and 
the neatness of your manuscripts. 

Choose your titles carefully and word them euphon- 
ically, that they may be pleasing to the eye and ear. 

Be graphic in your description, but not wordy : be in- 
teresting, but not diffusive ; be progressive, but not hasty \ 
be thorough, but not lengthy, and stop when your tale is 
told. 



LESSON NUMBER TEN. 



DON TS FOR SHORT-STORY WRITERS. 

Don'ts from those who do things will doubtless be quite 
as acceptable to the student in short-story writing as in 
press correspondence. 

The following pointed suggestions are adapted from 
"Practical Authorship," by James K. Reeve. 

"Don't fail to remember: 

"That your manuscript, if accepted, will be on its own 
merits, not on yours. 

"That you must never get discouraged because your 
manuscripts come back. 

"That an author is no judge of his own work. 

"That success comes only through perseverance. 



28 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

"Don't send a pen-written manuscript to an editor if 
you want it read promptly and carefully. Have it type- 
written. 

"Don't send any manuscript without stamps for its 
return. 

"Don't paste the stamps on your manuscript (nor to 
your letter) so that they' must be torn off. 

"Don't omit to put your name and address at the top 
of the first sheet. Put it also at the bottom of the last 
one. 

"Don't send stamps loose in an envelope. They are 
apt to drift into the waste basket. 

"Don't fancy that editors are prejudiced against you. 

"Don't send an editor a long list of works that you 
have published and expect him to be influenced by it to 
accept the manuscript submitted. 

"Don't tell him that he can have your work for nothing. 
He will reason that the laborer is worthy of his hire. 

"Don't write long letters to editors. 

"Don't fasten the sheets of your manuscript to one 
another with clamp, thread or ribbon. Page the sheets 
plainly at the top, and leave them so loose that the editor 
may shuffle them like a pack of cards. 

"Don't re-write a rejected manuscript and return it to 
the editor asking consideration again. Send it somewhere 
else. 

"Don't send a lot of newspaper clippings about yourself 
and your work, and expect to have them returned. Edi- 
tors are deluged with that sort of thing : and it is trouble- 
some to keep track of the clippings." 



How to Write a Novel 

By James Payn. 



LESSON NUMBER ELEVEN. 



HOW TO BEGIN THE PLOT. 

I have for years been subject to inquiries from persons 
utterly unknown to me (except that their name is legion) 
as to how fame and fortune (but especially the latter) are 
to be won by writing novels. * * * The idea seems to 
be that the profession of a novelist (though heaven knows 
we are no conjurers) is similar to that of those prestidigi- 
tateurs who, after a performance, are prepared for a con- 
sideration to inform the curious how it is done. Still, as 
the inquirers are so numerous, and as that section of the 
public (thought fast diminishing) which does not write 
novels seems also to take an interest in the subject, I 
propose to give a hint or two on it which may probably 
prove serviceable. The theme itself is by no means dull, 
and has features in it which are even amusing. I need not 
say that the correspondents who ask : "How to write Fic- 
tion," though they have probably written reams of it, have 
published nothing. When a man — and especially a woman 
— has done that, he wants advice from nobody, and resents 
it being offered. 

"How shall I sit down to write a novel?" inquires one, 
pathetically, who obviously desires instruction from the 
very beginning. There is a greater choice about this than 
she probably imagines. I knew one novelist who, while 
pursuing his trade, never sat down at all, but stood at his 
desk — which is low, not his legs, but his shoulders "got 
bowed." Another walks "to and fro" (like the devil), 
seeking for ideas. A bishop, the other day, revealed to us 
the fact that he always wrote on his knees ; but the work, 
we conclude, was a devotional one, and not a novel. One 
popular story-teller, to my personal knowledge, used to 
write upon his stomach (i. e., lying upon it), with his 
reference books around him, like a sea beast among rocks. 



30 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

This preliminary settled, however, my fair inquisitress 
asks me how to begin. This is an inquiry the importance 
of which is apt to be underrated, and, though an initial 
one, should not be the first. The first should be : "What 
shall I write about?" It is amazing how many of our 
story-tellers, and especially of the female ones, begin 
story-telling without having a story to tell. They start 
off, often at great speed, and sometimes too fast, but in no 
particular direction. "Where are you going to, my pretty 
maid?" is a question which in their turn, might be asked 
of them. They are certainly not "going a-milking," if 
their milch cow is the public. It is fair to say, however, 
that almost all beginners, whether male or female, fall 
into this error. Yet it is only geniuses who can write 
brilliantly about nothing. "There is no preparation, 
there is no mechanique," is a statement only applicable to 
great magicians. Think how the greatest novelists have, 
sooner or later, had to give their attention to plot ! There 
have been, of course, some very fine character novels ; but 
these have not been written by beginners ; to delineate 
character requires above all things experience and ob- 
servation. As a general rule, the advice that should be 
given to all budding novelists is: "Don't be in a hurry 
to blow. If you have no story to tell, wait till you get 
one." 

The necessity, indeed, of having the plot of one's novel 
— or at all events, the skeleton of it — arranged before- 
hand, is surely as obvious, when one comes to think of it, 
as that of knowing the lines of a ship, or the plan of a 
building, before commencing their construction. Few of 
us, having determined to build our own houses without the 
aid of an architect, have not come to grief ; I know one 
enterprising person who forgot the stairs. If you only 
want a bungalow — a cottage on the ground floor — of 
course this doesn't so much matter; and similarly, the 
smaller the story, the less there need be of the plot; but 
some sort of plan to work upon — subject to alteration, 
and with plenty of room for additions — you must have. 
The question, of course, arises: How to get it? But this 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 31 

must be answered by the enquirer himself. It must de- 
pend upon some incident or circumstance more or less 
dramatic, which has made a deep impression on the 
writer's mind; it may have originated there (which is the 
better way) or it may have been communicated to it, but 
the impressign must be deep. Moreover, it should not be 
recent ; the longer he reflects upon it, as the cow chews the 
cud, the more likely he is to succeed with it. Half a dozen 
lines suffice in the first instance for the germ of the story. 
They look bald enough, but there are potentialities in 
them for those who can use them, just as music, the poet 
tells us, lies in the eggs of the nightingale. As the born 
story-teller dwells on them, they expand page after page. 
New incidents, new situations, new characters gradually 
present themselves as in some magic mirror. The two 
former may be the offspring of the imagination, but the 
latter should owe their being to memory; they should be 
studies from real life. Great care must, however, be 
taken, to prevent recognition. The appearance, the neigh- 
borhood, the profession of those portrayed should alto- 
gether differ from what they are in reality. Great dis- 
tress of mind as respects this matter has been caused by 
many an undesigned coincidence, and all traces of per- 
sonal resemblance should be concealed as carefully as an 
Indian hides his trail. 

Whatever may be the merits of novels of character, it is 
certain they do not appeal to the great world of readers as 
those do which deal with dramatic situations and inci- 
dents. As the life of the body is the blood, so the life of 
the novel is its "story." My correspondents seem to treat 
this as easy to procure ; but they are mistaken. There are 
many people indeed who protest they have any amount of 
plots to give away; "just the very thing to write about;" 
but as John Leech used to say when a poor joke was sug- 
gested to him for Punch : "Admirable indeed, my dear 
fellow, but it does not lend itself to illustration." Not 
one-tenth of the stories suggested by our friends are suit- 
able material for a novel. 

Singular as it may appear, before the beginning of a 
story is attempted, the writer who wishes to do the best 



32 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

for himself, and is not afraid of taking pains, should fix 
upon the end of it. However long may be the journey, 
and tired may be the horses, the post-boy who has any 
self-respect will always "Keep a gallop for the avenue." 
He is well aware of the advantage, as regards remunera- 
tion, of leaving a good impression at the last. While as 
for the post-boy who doesn't know his way, nor even the 
place for which he is bound, it is obvious that he doesn't 
understand his business. I am convinced that the best 
novels, not "sensational" ones only, but those of sustained 
interest, have been composed, so to speak, backwards. The 
having the "denouement," perhaps the catastrophe, well 
on one's mind from the first, is a precaution similar to that 
which is taken by a public speaker, who, whatever he for- 
gets, is careful not to lose sight of his peroration. He 
well knows that is what he has to lead up to, and that 
upon the nature of it will chiefly depend his success. 
However well he may have got on up to that point, if his 
conclusion is lame and impotent, his speech will be a 
failure. Moreover, the foreknowledge of the end suggests 
much of the proper course of events in a story. 

If the conclusion of a story occurs to one as striking and 
dramatic, it must not be put aside, of course, on the 
ground of its being melancholy; but, as a general rule, I 
would warn young novelists against "bad endings;" it is 
their weakness to indulge in them just as it is that of 
young poets to rhyme about premature death. Youth has 
the "trick of melancholy." A few readers may sym- 
pathize with this feeling, but the majority exceedingly 
resent an unhappy termination to a story in which they 
have been interested. Some persons will not open a novel 
suspected of this drawback, and I have known even books 
like the "Bride of Lammermoor" to remain unread in 
consequence. 

At all events, whether the ending is good or bad, it 
ought to be concealed. There are some readers indeed 
who are so unprincipled as to look at (what used to be) 
the third volume first, just as children cannot keep their 
hands from the dessert when the soup is on the table ; but 
this conduct is contemptible. Wilkie Collins thought it 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 33 

criminal. I shall never forget his distress of mind when, 
in the vanity of youth, I boasted to him of how I had 
guessed the secret of "The Moonstone" at an earlier date 
than he had intended. 



LESSON NUMBER TWELVE. 



THE SCENE OF THE STORV. 

As for the scene of his story, I would recommend Scott, 
Jr. (if he will allow me to call him so), not to select 
foreign ones, however conversant he may be with them. 
There have been some exceptions, but as a rule, even our 
most popular novelists have lost something of their circu- 
lation when they have ventured on alien soil. With 
readers who have passed much of their time abroad, there 
is, of course, no objection to this; they may even prefer 
it, as awakening pleasant memories; but they are but a 
small minority ; the others best like to read of what they 
are familiar with, and are in a position to pass judgment 
on. Wherever the scene of the novel is placed, however, 
it is absolutely necessary for the writer to become thor- 
oughly acquainted with it. No time, or trouble, should be 
grudged in this matter. It is by no means, however, 
necessary to stay long in the chosen locality; on the con- 
trary, the salient points which strike one on a first ac- 
quaintance are apt to be lost through familiarity with 
them, and it is these which strike the reader. 

To pass from "place" to "period" I would observe that, 
though of late years there has been a great resuscitation 
of the historical novel, it is generally a mistake for writers 
who would be popular to place their story in a far back 
time. One or two have recently made a great success in 
so doing, but it is given to few to clothe dry bones with 
flesh. 

Almost all young writers cast their fiction in the auto- 
biographical form, for indeed they are generally their own 
heroes. This has been done a few times only with success 
(as in the case of David Copperfield), even by great 
authors ; with small ones it is a fatal error. 



34 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

There should be no ego in a novel. The introduction of 
self into it is fatal. Thackeray, it may be said, did it; 
but it was a mistake even in this case, and it is probable 
that Scott, Jr., is not a Thackeray. Does he suppose that 
his puppets are so life-like that it is necessary (like Bot- 
tom the weaver) to put his head outside the puppet show 
to assure us that they are not really alive? Does he im-. 
agine that his tale has such a sustained interest that it 
can bear this solution of continuity? If he does, he pos- 
sesses at least one quality which some people think is 
necessary to literary success — "a gude conceit of himself." 

On the other hand, he should not be afraid of express- 
ing his opinions ; while young at the trade, it is better to 
do so through the mouths of his characters; but if this 
cannot be appropriately done, let him state them, though 
always in an impersonal way. To students of fiction it is 
interesting to mark how, as authors gather strength, and 
gain their places in the world, they deliver their "obiter 
dicta" upon things in general. 

I may here tell a secret, or at all events something not 
generally known, concerning popular, and presumably 
good, novelists. Sometimes, of course, their circulation 
wanes with their wits ; old age has its natural effect upon 
their powers of imagination; but much more commonly 
their reputation decays through another attribute of old 
age, which is by no means unavoidable, namely, indolence. 
They natter themselves they are sure of their public, 
which, indeed, is always faithful to them as long as can be 
reasonably expected, and even beyond it; and they no 
longer take the same pains to please as they used to do; 
they substitute recollection for observation, and trust to 
memory where they formerly drew from experience. It is 
irksome to them to take trouble. Now, though no defini- 
tion of genius is so idiotic and absolutely contrary to the 
fact as that which describes it as "an infinite capacity for 
taking pains," if pains are not taken, even genius cannot 
in the end succeed, however fortunate it may be in the be- 
ginning. While Scott, Jr., is only a young person of talent 
and not a genius (as is possible) he may just as well hope 
to be a great engineer, if he takes no pains, as to be a 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 35 

novelist. It seems so easy to those who have never done 
it to succeed in fiction; story-telling appears such a holi- 
day task to the outsider ; but as a matter of fact it requires 
a great deal of application, observation, study, and, above 
all things, patience and perseverance. Only a few writers 
"awake to find themselves famous," and even these have 
generally had rather a long night. 

When the skeleton of his story is finished, he must be 
careful to avoid plumping it out by padding. He should 
be always marching on with his story and never "marking 
time," like a recruit at drill. Dissertations and disquisi- 
tions should be avoided. Where his characters indulge in 
reflection they sould be as brief as epigrams, and, if pos- 
sible, as pointed. There is nothing so tedious in fiction as 
a Hamlet hero. 



LESSON NUMBER THIRTEEN. 



THE NATURE OF THE STORY. 

As to the nature of the novel, that must, of course, de- 
pend upon the nature of the author, but it is certain that 
popularity most attends the writer who can attach Cupid 
to his chariot wheels. By far the majority of novel 
readers are the ladies, and they prefer, above all others, 
the love story. It is true that some of our greatest writers, 
Thackeray especially, and in a less degree Dickens have 
not been very successful in their treatment of this matter, 
but genius has no laws. I have already apologized to 
Scott, Jr., for taking it for granted that his gift is short 
of genius ; if it were otherwise, he needs no teaching. But 
it is quite curious how independent is a writer who has a 
specialty for describing courtship or any other attrac- 
tions. Still, I would warn him against the diffuse descrip- 
tions of the young people whose course of true love he 
has set himself to narrate. Nor do I think it is advisable 
that he should "pan out" too much on the scenery; as a 
matter of fact, this is mostly skipped, but I may add con- 
cerning it, as of the portrait-painting, that unless there 



36 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

are very salient points about it, it fails to give the impres- 
sion desired. Any one who visits the places described by 
even such a master of the pen as Walter Scott, must 
acknowledge that that is his first introduction to them ; he 
has gained no familiarity with them through the printed 
page. 

The chief point of a novelist's endeavors should be to 
give his story sustained interest. It is, of course, neces- 
sary, in a long one, to break the thread when he intro- 
duces new scenes and characters, but it should be picked 
up as soon as possible and both old and new combined in 
it. There are many admirable works that can be taken 
up and laid down at any time, but this should not be the 
case with a novel. The aspirations of one of our greatest 
writers was "to cheat a schoolboy of his hour of play" (a 
much more difficult task, by the bye, than to cheat him of 
an hour of work, which he will cheerfully give up for 
almost any other occupation), and the ambition of a 
novelist, unless he is one of those who writes "with a pur- 
pose," should be to — what some excellent people would 
call — "waste the time" of his readers; that is to say, to so 
fascinate them that they cannot lay his story down, or go 
to bed, until they have finished it ; and no matter what 
may be his wit or wisdom, he will never accomplish this 
until he has a story to tell them. And thus we come 
around to the point from which we started, the paramount 
necessity of a good plot. "A good plot," as Hotspur says, 
"and full of expectation, an excellent plot." 



LESSON NUMBER FOURTEEN. 



THE TITLE OF THE NOVEL. 

Lastly, neither time nor pains should be spared in the 
choice of title. This is very important, especially with a 
new writer. The same foolish persons who tell us that all 
the plots have been exhausted, will doubtless say that the 
titles also have already been appropriated. A great many 
of them have been so, as is evidenced by the number of 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 37 

novels that have had to change their names between their 
serial publication and their book form in consequence. 
They are names, of course, of unknown novels, for no one 
would be so impudent as to take that of a well-known one 
— which their authors have not even thought it worth 
while to spend five shillings in registering. It is pretty 
certain that a court of law would award damages for 
doing what could not be helped, and what could not but 
result, if it had any result, in the advantage of the person 
(supposed to be) injured. Still, it is advisable to take 
every precaution possible to avoid this duplication. The 
title should indicate the nature of the story without re- 
vealing its secret, and should not be a proper name, which 
can attract nobody. David Copperfield and Martin Chuz- 
zlewit are attractive to us, because we are all acquainted 
with their contents, but they are, as titles, colorless, and 
excite no curiosity. When Scott, Jr., has attained fame, 
he can call his novels what he pleases. 

Some care should be taken with the names of the char- 
acters of a novel. Matters are improving in this respect, 
and we seldom read such obvious titles as were at one time 
common in fiction, reminding us of those in the Pilgrim's 
Progress. The Faithfuls and Easies, the Gammons, the 
Quirks and Snaps, the Sir Harkaway Rotgut Wildfires, 
once so familiar to us, would now be pronounced crude 
and extravagant. Dickens was almost the first to escape 
from them ; his names were all taken from real life, either 
from what he read over shops or in the Postoffice Direc- 
tory. The exception is in Nicholas Nickleby, where, how- 
ever, there is an excellent name of the Pilgrim's Progress 
type — Sir Mulberry Hawke. Scott, Jr., should take his 
names from the Directory, but be careful to put an out- 
of-the-way Christian name before them, so as to avoid the 
risk, if not of an action for libel, at least of some personal 
unpleasantness. People don't like being called "out of 
their names," but still more do they dislike their real ones 
stuck on to a bad character in a novel like a lady's head 
on the body of a comic photograph. 

In all that I have said of him, let Scott, Jr., distinctly 
understand that I pretend to teach no method of making 



38 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

bricks without straw. If he has no natural turn for story- 
telling, no human being can give it to him; but if he has 
a bent that way — and not merely a passionate desire to see 
himself in print, which is a much commoner attribute — I 
have endeavored to show him how he can utilize it ; what 
he should give his attention to, and what he should avoid. 
I cannot promise him success, but I believe I have shown 
him the way in which he is most likely to attain it. 



Play Writing 

LESSON NUMBER FIFTEEN. 



HOW TO WRITE A PLAY. 



By Fanny Cannon, in "The Editor." 

The very first maxim in regard to play- writing is : — 
don't do it until you know how. You would not dream of 
sitting down to a game of bridge without at least a work- 
ing knowledge of the rules. This is doubly true of 
dramatic composition. Learn the rules before you play 
the game. Then play awhile for practice before you sit 
down to a game with experts. The people who can write 
plays will write them in spite of all discouragements. 
The people who cannot should be dissuaded in every way 
permissible to a law-abiding population. 

In theme, the play is more closely allied to the short 
story than to the novel. The former deals with one 
episode and its incidents, while the latter may be entirely 
lacking in story. Witness the autobiographical novels of 
Thackeray, Dickens, the Brontes, interesting, but relating 
many incidents and episodes, and covering a life-time in 
characterization. 

The play, like the short story, must contain one cen- 
tral episode or idea, and the working out of that one idea 
by the aid of whatever lesser, attendant matters the main 
theme demands. 

Having a story to tell, you must decide whether it is 
adapted to the play- form. Many stories are interesting; 
all are not necessarily dramatic. Some are dramatic, but 
too simple to work out through a play. 

If you decide that your story is suitable for the play- 
form, write it out as a story. This is not a scenario, 
merely a test of its dramatic qualities. Arnold Bennet 
says that a story which is not capable of rendering viva 



40 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

voce is not worth writing. By the same token, a story 
which cannot be written is not worth dramatization. 

But a good story to tell is only one of many requisites 
for a good play. It had better stay merely a story than 
run the risk of marring it by a form unfamiliar to the 
writer. Ask yourself, honestly, just how fit are you to 
write a play? You may sometimes write an interesting 
story which will be readable, and yet be hardly more 
than a sketch of the episode — a dramatic outline like a 
newspaper reporter's accounts, some of which make excel- 
lent reading. In a play, you must work with people, 
not outlines. Their emotions must be human, great or 
small according to the characters. 

Just how much do you know of the lives you intend 
to portray, or of life in general? That may seem an 
almost laughable question. And yet it is truly amazing 
how many novices will rush into tremendous subjects 
with which their life experience has rendered them ut- 
terly unable to cope. Even Emily Bronte failed when 
she attempted certain facts of life of which she was 
necessarily ignorant — and she was a genius. A play came 
to my notice a little while ago which dealt with a big 
and vital social problem. The chances for good drama 
and characterization were all there. But the play was at- 
tempted by a girl barely out of her teens. She might 
know the facts, but what could her youth and inexpe- 
rience guess of the mental processes which brought them 
all about? 

Therefore, for your first play at least — and all others, 
unless you are willing to collaborate — let alone what in 
the nature of things is outside your ken. 

Do not lay your scenes in a walk of life with which 
you are totally unfamiliar. If your knowledge of society 
is bounded by the small village-church social, or a factory- 
ball, don't write a play dealing with the exclusive circles 
of London or New York society. 

Being now sure that you have a dramatic story, and 
that you fully understand the subject and its emotions, 
the next question of your fitness is : how much do you 
know of the theatre and its plays, the actors and their 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 41 

work? You say that from the audience you have wit- 
nessed plays for many years. As spectator only? Or have 
vou dissected and analyzed as you watched? It is almost 
impossible to do the latter unless you are guided by some- 
one who knows. You will not know just what to dis- 
sect. Unless you are initiated certain important matters 
will utterly escape you. You might study by constant 
reading of printed plays. But the theatre, like everything 
else, changes frequently. The kind of play which suc- 
ceeded a year ago may fail this. So you must know some- 
thing of the actual playhouse and its exigencies. You 
may write a play without, but it will have to have all 
kinds of things done to it at rehearsals — should it get so 
far — to pay for your ignorance of the stage and its 
mechanism. 

The person who knows about plays and the stage, goes 
to the work of writing a drama with his hat off, meta- 
phorically. I remember a friend, who after years of ex- 
perience as actress and writer was at work on her first 
play. Almost reverently she spoke of it to a non-profes- 
sional friend, who was mildly interested, and who then 
remarked, "John Smith's brother writes plays, very clever 
ones, too, and he's only seventeen." 

Amazed, my friend said, "Does he know anything of 
the stage?" 

"No, never stood behind the footlights in his life ; 
knows nothing of it." 

This was said as if the matter was of no consequence 
and play construction as simple as letter-writing. But my 
friend said nothing more of her play except to people 
who understood. It was the old story of "fools rushing 
in" — you know the rest. 

You may enter the world equipped with imagination, 
and other gifts fitting you for literary composition; but 
you do not enter this vale of tears a playwright. W. T. 
Price says on this very subject, "The idea that one can 
be born a playwright is a monstrous lie and fraught with 
evil." It is just as impossible to be born an electrician 
or a geometrician, however much one's tastes may run in 
these directions. A taste for a thing, even a certain gift 



42 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

for it, is not necessarily the ability to do it without the 
addition of technical knowledge. 

However, having decided that you know enough of 
these matters to write a play, you can make preparation 
for your scenario. This latter is a sort of chart for your 
guidance when you sit down to the last work of all, the 
actual writing of the dialogue. 

But before your story becomes your scenario — unless 
you are working solely for practice — look well to one or 
two things. 

First of all, be sure you yourself know fully all there 
is in your story. Sometimes, after you start, you will 
find more, perhaps less, than you thought. Occasionally, 
one will have a story with enough material for three 
plays — and not know it. Good stuff is so often wasted 
in this way, because the author does not know it exists. 

Have a reason for things. I shall speak of this more 
fully when we come to prepare the actual scenario. But 
it is enough to say now that if you make a character so- 
and-so, it must be because it was necessary to have him 
just that kind of character. 

I remember reading a play that simply bulged with 
wasted opportunity. There was a knowledge of stage- 
craft and a certain sense of construction. But the story 
was weak. The hero was blind, for no reason that I 
could discover; certainly no dramatic use was made of 
the fact. He might just as well been lame, or perfectly 
sound, for that matter. There was a murder and the 
cause was interesting, but that idea went nowhere. It 
might, alone, have made a good detective story. Another 
episode was big enough for a play by itself, but was only 
partially developed. And so one idea after another went 
by the wall because the author did not know his own 
story. 

Again, managers and the public are looking for nov- 
elty. Either your story or its handling must have some- 
thing novel about it. A conventional play built on con- 
ventional lines, full of all the usual tricks to catch ap- 
plause has simply no chance. Something in the play 
must be different. The Civil War drama is a dead issue, 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 43 

and to be salable to-day must have some unusual qualifi- 
cation to bring it to the manager's notice. 

Be sure that you carry your theme through the play — 
and there must be but one. Another example : — a play 
started out, giving the impression that it would deal with 
a certain phase of the labor question. It was badly done, 
but the idea was there. It was completely lost sight of 
before the end of Act two, and the reader was plunged 
into a maze of impossible "Society" situations. 

Another thing : if of a certain kind of play, about 
three have succeeded, don't write the fourth. The edge 
has been taken off, and the public is tired. Watch your 
market. If you have a good idea along old lines, hold 
on to it. Wait until those lines have been submerged for 
awhile, then yours will bob up with a seeming of nov- 
elty. 

For preparation, read modern plays. Those of Pinero, 
Henry Arthur Jones, Clyde Fitch, Augustus Thomas, are 
published, and will serve better for models of salable 
plays than even the works of the immortal bard. That 
sounds like heresy; it's good advice, nevertheless. 

This alone is not enough, as I said before, but taken 
in conjunction with the analysis of plays seen from the 
"front" will at least keep you from numberless unneces- 
sary mistakes. 



LESSON NUMBER SIXTEEN. 



GETTING INTO PRINT. 



By Jack London. 

The following extract from an article by Jack London 
under the above title, in "Practical Authorship," will be 
of special interest to those who are thinking of tackling 
editors. 

"As soon as a fellow sells two or three things to the 
magazines, or successfully inveigles some publisher into 
bringing out a book, his friends all ask him how he man- 
aged to do it. So it is fair to conclude that the placing 



44 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

of books and of stories with magazines is a highly interest- 
ing performance. 

"I know it was highly interesting to me; vitally inter- 
esting, I may say. I used to run through endless maga- 
zines and newspapers, wondering all the time how the 
writers of all that stuff managed to place it. To show 
that the possession of this knowledge was vitally im- 
portant to me, let me state that I had many liabilities and 
no assets, no income, several mouths to feed, and for 
landlady a poor widow woman whose imperative necessi- 
ties demanded that I should pay my rent with some degree 
of regularity. This was my economic situation when I 
buckled on the harness and went up against the maga- 
zines. 

"Further, and to the point, I knew positively nothing 
about it. I lived in California, far from the great pub- 
lishing centers. I did not know what an editor looked 
like. I did not know a soul who had ever published 
anything; nor yet again, a soul, with the exception of 
my soul, who had ever tried to write anything, much less 
tried to publish it. 

"I had no one to give me tips, no one's experience to 
profit by. So I sat down and wrote in order to get an 
experience of my own. I wrote everything — short stories, 
articles, anecdotes, jokes, essays, sonnets, ballads, vil- 
anelles, triolets, songs, light plays in iambic tetrameter, 
and heavy tragedies in blank verse. These various crea- 
tions I stuck into envelopes, enclosed return postage and 
dropped into the mail. Oh, I was prolific. Day by day 
my manuscripts mounted up, till the problem of finding 
stamps for them became as great as that of making life 
livable for my widow landlady. 

"All my manuscripts came back. They continued to 
come back. The process seemed like the working of soul- 
less machine. I dropped the manuscript into the mail 
box. After the elapse of a certain approximate length of 
time, the manuscript was brought back to me by the post- 
man. Accompanying it was a stereotyped rejection slip. 

"This went on for some months. I was still in the 
dark. I had not yet gained the smallest particle of ex- 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 45 

perience. Concerning which was the more marketable, 
poetry or prose, jokes or sonnets, short stories or essays, I 
knew no more than when 1 began. I had vague ideas, 
however, dim and hazy ideas to the effect that a minimum 
rate of ten dollars a thousand words was paid; that if I 
only published two or three things the editors would 
clamor for my wares. 

"Concerning this minimum rate of ten dollars a thou- 
sand words, a thing in which I fondly believed, I must 
confess that I had gleaned it from some Sunday supple- 
ment. Likewise I must confess the beautiful and touching 
modesty with which I aspired. Let other men, thought 
I, receive the maximum rate, whatever marvelous sum it 
may be. As for myself, I shall always be content to re- 
ceive the minimum rate. And once I get started, I shall 
do no more than three thousand words a day, five days 
only in the week. This will give me plenty of recreation, 
while I shall be earning six hundred dollars a month 
without overstocking the market. 

"As I say, the machine worked on for several months, 
and then, one morning, the postman brought me a letter, 
mark you, a letter, not a long thick one, and from a 
magazine. My stamp problem and my landlady problem 
were pressing me cruelly, and this short thin letter from 
a magazine would of a certainty solve both problems in 
short order. 

"I could not open the letter right away. It seemed a 
sacred thing. It contained the written words of an editor. 
The magazine he represented I imagined ranked in the 
first class. I knew it had a four-thousand-word story of 
mine. What will it be? I asked. The minimum rate, I 
answered modestly as ever ; forty dollars of course. Hav- 
ing thus guarded myself against any possible kind of dis- 
appointment, I opened the letter and read what I thought 
would be blazed in letters of fire on my memory for all 
time. Alas ! the years are few, yet I have forgotten. But 
the gist of the letter was coldly to the effect that my story 
was available, that they would print it in the next number, 
and that they would pay me for it the sum of five dollars. 

"Five dollars! A dollar and a quarter a thousand! 



46 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

That I did not die right there and then convinces me that 
I am possessed of a singular ruggedness of soul which 
will permit me to survive and ultimately to qualify for 
the oldest inhabitant. 

"Five dollars! When? The editor did not state. I 
didn't have even a stamp with which to convey my accept- 
ance or rejection of his offer. Just then the landlady's 
little girl knocked at my back door. Both problems were 
clamoring more than ever for solution. It was plain 
there was no such thing as a minimum rate. Nothing 
remained but to get out and shovel coal. I had done it 
before and earned more money at it. I resolved to do it 
again : and I certainly should have, had it not been for 
'The Black Cat.' 

"Yes, 'The Black Cat.' The postman brought me an 
offer from it for forty dollars for a four-thousand-word 
story, which same was more lengthy than strengthy, if I 
would grant permission to cut it down half. This was 
equivalent to a twenty-dollar rate (per thousand). Grant 
permission? I told them they could cut it down two 
halves if they'd only send the money along, which they 
did by return mail. As for the five dollars previously 
mentioned, I finally received it after publication and a 
great deal of embarrassment and trouble. 

"I forgot my coal-shoveling resolution and continued 
to whang away at the typewriter — 'to drip adjectives from 
the ends of my fingers,' as some young woman has pic- 
turesquely phrased it." 

About this time, Mr. London says he stumbled upon a 
magazine which gave him some of the information em- 
bodied in our System, and also the inspiration which won 
for him his great success in authorship. 



PROFITABLE A UTIIORSHIP 



LESSON NUMBER SEVENTEEN. 



WHY SOME MANUSCRIPTS ARE REJECTED THE REMEDY. 

If some young writers have failed to get their stories 
published, there is a reason why. Editors do not reject 
manuscripts that can be used to advantage, but they can- 
not tell each writer why his stories are not "available." 
The following article proves the need of such instruction 
as we give our students, and will help you to avoid the 
mistakes of some unsuccessful writers. It appeared in 
the New York Sun and the writer states that the faults 
which lead to the author's discomfort may be classified 
under these three heads : 

To begin with the most common fault of all, the manu- 
script may be all right, the situations well described, and 
the dialogue clever, but — no story. 

In the next, group of failures are those manuscripts in 
which the story is there, but is not properly arranged or 
told. This is a fault which puts a manuscript just in the 
balance. Whether the editor thinks enough of it to bother 
further with it is largely a matter of the humor of the 
moment. It is very much like the hesitation of a person 
in buying something that is not quite what he wants, but 
which could be made to do by spending a little time and 
trouble on its alteration. 

The third class of failures is stories which are all right, 
but are not suited to the magazine to which they are sent. 
This is the cause of nine-tenths of the failures of inex- 
perienced authors. 

The one absolutely helpless case is the writer who has 
no story to tell, "but who can fill up fifteen pages of 
typewriting with a mixture of dialogue and incident that 
leads nowhere." To such a writer one magazine manu- 
script reader thus pays his respects : 

"This sort of writer reminds me of a young fellow who 
applied for a job in a carpenter's shop and brought a per- 
fectly smooth piece of board as a sample of what he could 



48 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

do. The carpenter asked him what it was for or what it 
fitted and found that it did not fit anything but was simply 
a beautifully smooth piece of work, planed and sand- 
papered, top, bottom and sides. 

"The carpenter told the young fellow to take it back 
home again and bring it to him next day with a mortise 
and tenon joint in it, or an ogee panel on one side — any- 
thing to show what the work on it was for." 

Another "reader" remarks : 

"Some people do not seem to understand that the short 
story should be restricted to a single incident. If it is a 
story of adventure there must be only one adventure. If 
it is a love affair it must be only one episode in the court- 
ship. If it is a character sketch it must deal with one 
trait of character only." 

There is no more common mistake made by the would- 
be magazine- writers than to imagine that a short story is a 
condensed novel. A short story should be like a flash-light 
picture of a single stone being laid in a wall. The novel 
is a description of the whole building from cellar to roof. 

Here is an example : — 

To the writer was shown one short story, printed in 
McClure's, which was a first attempt on the part of its 
author. It had been changed four times, forty-eight 
superfluous words had been cut out by twos and threes at 
a time and six explanatory and argumentative letters had 
been exchanged between author and publisher before the 
final proof was passed. 

All this trouble over a 3,000-word story submitted by 
mail by an unknown author, who had never written any- 
thing before, and by a magazine that receives several 
hundred manuscripts a month and can command the best 
writers ! 

Why? Because the story was there, and S. S. McClure 
knew it the moment he saw it and he rose to the bait like 
a pike. The author was one of his finds. 

"What is the particular element that you imply as so 
desirable when you speak of the story in a manuscript?" 
the writer asked Mr. McClure. 

"It must be human and there must be some motive in 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 49 

it," he answered immediately. "It may be cleverly writ- 
ten; but so are advertisements. Adventure and incident 
may be there, but if there is nothing human in it. no 
laughter will ever shake the reader's hand, no tear will 
ever fall upon the page." 

One of the most common errors of the novice in author- 
ship is sending his manuscripts to the wrong place. The 
further he is from the right place in his selection the 
longer he will probably have to wait for its return. This 
delay and the repetition of refusals is one of the most dis- 
heartening things the budding author has to contend with, 
but it is entirely his own fault. He may imagine that all 
the editors have conspired against him, whereas there is 
nothing against him but his own lack of judgment. 

If a man had a patent churn to sell and went hawking 
it among the housewives on the West Side you would 
laugh at him and tell him to take it to the country and 
sell it to the farmers' wives. If he replied that the coun- 
try was just the same as the city, all houses and people, 
you would laugh still louder at his folly. Yet the author 
who sends his manuscripts to the wrong place is just as 
misguided. 

The first thing that a new writer usually does is to 
send his story off to his favorite magazine or to the maga- 
zine that he hears most highly spoken of. All amateur 
actors want to play Hamlet from the start. The high- 
class, well-known magazines, like Harper's, have to wade 
through more trash than any others. 

"A story was submitted to me privately by a friend of 
mine," said one reader. "The author was a young lady 
who did not know that I was employed on a magazine. 
She thought it was the greatest thing that ever happened, 
that story of hers. Most authors think that about their 
first attempts. 

"She was in doubt whether to send it to Harper's or 
The Century, as she did not want to offend either of them 
by giving the other the refusal of it. After reading it 
over I advised her to try it on The Waverly Magazine first 
and not to expect any pay for it. She has not spoken to 
me since, but I learned from a friend of hers that she 



50 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

sent it from one magazine to another for nearly two years, 
having to copy it again once or twice when it got shabby. 
The funny part of it was that she finally sent it to The 
Waver I y and they used it." 

The secret of the success of any magazine lies in its 
individuality. People come to recognize it as different 
from the others and they do not feel that any other maga- 
zine will take its place. 

What makes this individuality? The editor's power of 
selection, his ability to pick out the stories and articles 
that carry out his conception of what a magazine should 
be. If any old story would do for any old magazine, as 
some writers seem to imagine, what would become of its 
distinctive trait ? 

Unless a writer who sends a story to a magazine has 
studied this peculiar touch that gives the magazine its 
character and has written something that fits in with it, 
he is simply wasting time and postage stamps. He may 
have made a beautiful churn, but the woman who lives 
in Central Park West does not think it fits into her ideas 
of what should be in her household. 

The author often cries out that the editor will not tell 
him what is the matter with his story when it is rejected. 
The editor learns caution because he understands the 
psychology of authors. All are not alike, however. 

The editor of The Popular Magazine told the writer 
that he once made the mistake of telling a new writer 
what was the matter with his story. 

The man seemed very modest and anxious to learn, 
and the editor told him the exact facts. Instead of being 
grateful for this expert criticism, which was valuable, the 
author of the story became abusive and told the editor 
that he had never printed such a good story in The 
Popular, which was a rotten magazine anyhow, and much 
more to the same effect. Such authors are hopeless, be- 
cause they will never learn. 

John Thompson, editor of Pearson's, told the writer 
that one had to be more cautious about mentioning the 
defects in an author's stories to the author himself than 
one would be about remarking about the defects in a 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 51 

woman's personal appearance if she asked you about it. 
In fact, he thought the author would be the more vin- 
dictive of the two. 

At the same time he had found, when he was sure 
that he was talking to the right sort of man, who would 
not be misunderstood, that he could put his finger on the 
weak spot in a story, and that more than once he had been 
rewarded by the author going home to think it over and 
bringing him just the kind of story he wanted. 



LESSON NUMBER EIGHTEEN. 



PREPARATION AND TOOLS OF THE TRADE. 

A college is a training school to prepare the student for 
the beginning of life's work. And the day of his gradua- 
tion is well termed the Commencement Day, for he is sup- 
posed then to be prepared to begin life in earnest. So 
with the the student who graduates from the College of 
Correspondence. Our course should not be the end of 
study for this profession. It really should be the begin- 
ning. We do not term those who enroll pupils, but 
students. To be a student in fact as well as in name 
means success, and no man can truly succeed in this pro- 
fession who does not continue to be a student all through 
his life. 

Do not think that you have mastered our instruction 
by simply reading the lessons through once, or twice. 
Read them often, and each time new suggestions will be 
given you. Keep a note book always at hand and use it 
freely. Don't let good thoughts escape your memory : 
they will mean good money sometime. Also keep a theme 
book, in which to jot down any subject that may be sug- 
gested at any time. Occasionally run over these themes 
and keep them fresh in your mind. You will find that 
each theme has a tendency to gather material. This will 
work in two ways. You will make notes and references 
occasionally under the themes, each one of which should 
have generous space, and then you will unconsciously 
gather material from all sources for each particular theme. 



52 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

So when you begin to look for a subject for an article 
you will be surprised to know how many you have on 
hand. And when you begin to write upon it you will be 
even more surprised to learn how much material and how 
many suggestions you have to begin with. 

But the special tools of the trade are the books which 
tabulate the experience of other people and the sugges- 
tions which they will give you in line with your work. 
Among the books to be consulted in connection with our 
system — if indeed they may not well be considered a part 
of it — are those of all the best authors bearing upon the 
subject of literature. Writing and reading should go 
hand in hand, for as Bacon has said — "Reading maketh 
the full man. . . . and writing, the exact man." 

The constant companion of the writer should be a good 
dictionary, like Webster's or the Standard, from the un- 
abridged to the pocket editions. Such reading will make 
the student both full of the knowledge of words and exact 
in their use. One of the greatest marks of culture is 
shown in the choice of words. Study the dictionary both 
to enlarge and enrich your vocabulary, and to give you 
greater discernment in the use of words. 

Read the best authors for style and felicity of ex- 
pression. Read Ruskin for style, Addison for clearness, 
Thackeray for sarcasm — if you must use it — Kipling for 
originality and strength, and Macaulay for the combina- 
tion of elegance and strength. 

Also own and read as many of the books in the follow- 
ing list as possible, for they are the special Tools of your 
Trade : 

English Lessons — Abbott & Seeley $1.00 

Beginning of Rhetoric and Composition — A. S. 

Hill 1.25 

Manual of Composition — E. H. Lewis 60 

Conklin's Synonyms and Antonyms 50 

Dictionary of Errors — Sherwin Cody 75 

Everybody's Writing Desk Book 1.00 

The Rhymester ; or, The Rules of Rhyme 1 .00 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 53 

Punctuation and Other Typographical Matters 

(Bigelow) 50 

Words and Their Use (White) 2.00 

Familiar Quotations (Bartlett) 3.00 

In addition to these works the student should be in 
touch with a good library, private or public, where he 
may consult some standard Encyclopedia, works of ref- 
erence and all the leading periodicals. Thus equipped 
and furnished he cannot fail, for even though he should 
never sell a production he has gained an education and 
enriched his own life beyond price. 

But let us hope that he will put that education to prac- 
tical use in the profession of journalism or authorship 
and give others the benefit of his acquirements. 

CARD OF CREDENTIALS. 

The Card of Credentials, which is sent to every student 
in our courses on Journalism and Authorship, is to be 
used as a means of introduction to secure material for 
stories. It should never be sent as an introduction in 
selling them. Each story must stand on its own merits. 
Editors don't ask "Who are you?" but "What kind of a 
story have you?" 

One of our students used his card to obtain admission 
to a bull fight in California, where he obtained excellent 
material for a story. Another was admitted free to a 
great reproduction of "The Passion Play," by showing 
this card, where he was taken behind the scenes and given 
every advantage for his "write-up." 

WHAT THE TYPEWRITER WILL DO. 

Not long ago a young woman wrote a short article 
which she thought adapted to a standard magazine, and 
which she was exceedingly anxious should be published 
in that magazine. The article was returned, stamped 
with the usual "unavailable," which of course did not 
imply "lack of literary merit." There was not the faint- 
est suggestion of its having been unfolded or even 
glanced at, so the author of it, being resolved upon a 
practical joke, had the article typewritten, copied verba- 



54 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

tim, signed her mother's maiden name, sent it back to 
the editor, and within two weeks received a check for 
it. This speaks loudly in favor of typewritten manu- 
scripts. What would the august editorial personage say 
if he knew? 



LESSON NUMBER NINETEEN. 



LITERARY STYLE. 



From an address before Bodley Literary Society of 
Oxford by Frederick Harrison. 

About all that can be laid down as law in style is 
embraced in a sentence of Mme. de Sevigne : "Never for- 
sake what is natural; you have molded yourself in that 
vein, and this produces a perfect style." More than this 
cannot be said. "Be natural, be simple, be yourself; 
shun artifices, tricks, fashions. Gain the tone of ease, 
plainness, self-respect. To thine own self be true. Speak 
out frankly that which you have thought out within your 
own brain and have felt within your own soul." The 
secret of Wordsworth, of Goldsmith, and Homer is that 
they never tried to get outside of the natural, the simple, 
the homely. 

Those writers are commended for study who have no 
imitators and who have founded no schools, as, in the 
English, Swift, Hume, Goldsmith, Thackeray, and 
Froude. Meredith, he says, is too whimsical, Ruskin 
often too rhapsodical, Stevenson too "precocious," George 
Eliot too laboriously enameled and erudite. 

Students are advised to think out clearly in their own 
minds and then put it in the simplest words that offer, 
just as if telling it to a friend. They are warned against 
slang, vulgarity, and long sentences. Latin words are 
not condemned, because English now consists of Latin 
as well as Saxon ; "but wherever a Saxon word is enough, 
use it ; because if it have all the fullness and precision 
you need, it is the more simple, the more direct, the more 
homely." 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 55 

Imitation in literature is declared a mischief. "John- 
son, Macaulay, Carlyle, Dickens, Ruskin, have been the 
cause of flooding us with cheap copies of their special 
manner. And even now Meredith, Stevenson, Swin- 
burne, and Pater lead the weak to ape their airs and 
graces. All imitation in literature is an evil." 

But it is iterated that the reading of the best books 
improves the style, and that Swift, Defoe, and Goldsmith 
are best exponents of pure English. 

FIND THE RIGHT WORD. 

Some time ago a visitor to Rudyard Kipling's home 
was surprised, upon entering the library, to find that 
world-renowned story writer stretched on the floor on 
an oriental rug and entirely absorbed in an open book. 
So great was the visitor's curiosity to discover what vol- 
ume could so enthral Rudyard Kipling that upon accom- 
plishing his business he put the question. He was told, 
to his astonishment, that it was a dictionary, and learned 
furthermore not only that Kipling considered the dic- 
tionary the most useful book of reference in existence, 
but that to him it was a fascinating, profitable study as 
well. It was in fact not what this greatest of modern 
word painters had seen, or heard, or experienced, that 
made him so phenomenally successful, but his constant 
effort to fit the right word into the right place. 

Every year the publishers of this country send back 
hundreds of thousands of stories as unavailable. Why? 
It is not, as is popularly supposed, because writers lack 
the material, the plot, the incident necessary for a Kip- 
ling story. Nearly every one finds in his every-day life 
material for as original, absorbing, successful, and 
money-bringing stories as any that have ever been writ- 
ten, but it is the lack of power to put it into fascinating 
form — to fit the right word into the right place — that 
leads to failure. Their diamonds may be among the 
finest in the world, but they are in the rough — they lack 
the form, the finish, the polish that command a ready 
market. 



56 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Guy de Maupassant, another of the greatest of modern 
story writers, has said : "When you have an idea there is 
only one noun to express it, one verb to enforce it, one 
adjective to qualify it." The secret of successful author- 
ship depends upon finding that right noun, right verb, 
right adjective. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY. 



HOW CAN I LEARN TO WRITE WELL? 



By J. Matthewman. 

To achieve your object, read and write constantly and 
carefully. 

Your reading should be deliberate ; the exact meaning 
and weight of words and phrases should be sought after, 
especially when at all unusual or apparently strained. 

Particularly forceful, beautiful, or dainty passages — 
prose or poetry — should be read, re-read, and pondered 
over until their charm and strength have been mentally 
digested. Make your mind a storehouse of such treas- 
ures, and your own style will, of necessity, improve. "A 
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." 

Read "Fors Clavigera," in fact, all of Ruskin's works, 
except those which are mostly or entirely technical. Study 
with particular thoroughness the passage in "Sesame and 
Lilies" which treats of the power and value of words, and 
of the necessity of weighing with due care what one 
reads. 

Read Addison for clearness ; Thackeray for sarcasm ; 
of recent authors J. H. Shorthouse for elegance, and Rud- 
yard Kipling for originality and strength ; Hood and 
Holmes for sprightly versifying; Augustus Birrell for 
light, crisp, sparkling prose; Tennyson and W T atson, Sill 
and Lanier, for elegant, forceful, alliterative English. 

The study of proverbs is helpful. A proverb is multum 
in parvo. 

Write regularly, and, whenever it is possible, express 
yourself in pure, terse, nervous Saxon. Do not sacrifice 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 57 

sense to effect ; but, on the other hand, bear in mind that 
a gem is all the more valuable and attractive for being 
well set. Do not be afraid to use a well-known foreign 
expression in case you have to choose between that and 
clumsy English. Never use a long word where a short 
one will serve your purpose just as well. Ceteris paribus, 
brevity is strength. 

Write you thoughts and ideas, one at a time, and then 
read, re-read, and amend wherever possible. Do not be 
satisfied with anything short of perfection. Before you 
let anything leave your hand have the confidence that it is 
the best you can write. Should it be necessary, alter it 
so much that finally not more than one word of the orig- 
inal draught remains, like the word "whereas" of a cer- 
tain English law. 

Read aloud what you write. Much that looks correct 
sounds faulty. Have your last copy typewritten, for in 
type small errors, especially those of punctuation, are 
glaring. Remember that the best writers are their own 
most merciless critics. 

Write short critiques of the books you have read, and 
then submit what you have written to some one in whose 
critical judgment you have confidence. 

Even in ordinary correspondence write the best letter 
you can write. Always try to express yourself exactly, 
not approximately; and always find out for yourself if 
you have succeeded. "Practice makes perfect." 

To gain accuracy and succinctness, practice docketing. 
Write a synopsis of a paragraph or of a chapter. Give 
the contents and nothing more. Then revise and correct. 
Cut out every superfluous word and amend until no 
further betterment is possible. A study of Charlotte 
Bronte's style would be useful. Macaulay would often 
recast an entire chapter because one paragraph did not 
please him; Tennyson would spend a morning polishing 
a single line. 

Do not imitate the style of any writer, but assimilate 
what is good. In writing, as in everything else, "Best 
be yourself — imperial, firm, and true." 

In your own writing, tolerate no inaccurate, weak, or 



58 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

doubtful word or phrase. Translation into English will 
give practice in the weighing of words. 

As "Rome was not built in a day," approximate per- 
fection in writing can only be attained by prolonged and 
conscientious endeavor. As Pope wrote : 

"True ease in writing comes by art, not chance, 
As they move easiest who have learned to dance." 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-ONE. 



THE AUTHOR AND THE EDITOR. 

The author of stories long or short should early realize 
the important relation which must exist between himself 
and his editors. The one is dependent upon the other. 
The novice is inclined to think that all writers must dance 
attendance upon editors. But on further investigation he 
realizes that the editor needs him quite as much as he 
needs the editor. That the editor needs him not as a 
novice, but as a writer of good stories, to help make a good 
magazine and to give him a good business. For such 
writers editors are constantly on the look-out, and when 
they see them they are glad to clasp hands for mutual 
profit. 

For the benefit of aspiring writers, and to help them to 
secure and maintain the favor of desirable editors, we will 
quote a few sane suggestions from James K. Reeve's ex- 
cellent work on "Practical Authorship." We have 
abridged them for this purpose, but they lose none of their 
force in this form : 

"Never roll your manuscript. Send it flat, if a bulky 
manuscript ; or folded, if a small one. 

"In sending any manuscript that is to be returned by 
mail, enclose with it an envelope of proper size and shape, 
addressed and fully stamped. 

"Take at least ordinary precaution to guard against the 
loss of your manuscript. Write your name and address 
plainly upon the envelope, with a return request to the 
postmaster. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 59 

"Write your name and address in the upper left hand 
corner of your manuscript. 

"Never send your manuscript under one cover and your 
letter of notification under another. 

"Don't send your manuscript today and write an im- 
patient note day after tomorrow to know if it will be 
accepted. 

"Never ask an editor to examine a manuscript upon 
which you have not exhausted the final effort. Bear in 
mind that he has plenty of others upon his desk, the 
product of past masters in the art of literature, who have 
left nothing undone that their knowledge of the craft can 
suggest to make the work perfect. 

"Offer nothing but typewritten copy for editorial in- 
spection. Type copy is more easily read than even the 
best pen-script. It presents the thought in clearer form, 
so that it may be grasped at a glance. 

"For ordinary manuscripts to be sent by mail, the best 
size of paper to use is a sheet 8^2 by 11 inches. This 
should be a clear white ; firm in texture, not too heavy. 

"Upon a sheet of the size named a margin of one inch 
should be reserved on the left side, and an equal space at 
the top and bottom. This is for the use of the editor in 
case he finds it necessary to 'edit.' Typewritten manuscript 
should be double-spaced. 

"Leave as little 'editing' for the editor as you can. 
Study closely the pages of well-written magazines. Ob- 
serve their methods of punctuation, learn the art of cor- 
rect paragraphing, understand the correct use of quota- 
tion marks, and make use of the knowledge thus acquired. 
If you do not attend to these matters the editor must — 
if he accepts your manuscript — before it can go to the 
composing room." 



6o PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-TWO. 



'X, 



A PLACE FOR ALL WRITERS. 

The agricultural press offers a wide scope for writers 
who understand the process of skilled husbandry, horti- 
culture, floriculture, or the aspects of rural life. 

The student of natural history, who is observing differ- 
ent phases of animal life, will find a ready market for 
his wares in almost every journal in the country. 

The mechanic who understands the use of tools, the 
mineralogist, the leather tanner, the cotton grower, and 
in fact all writers who can give information concerning 
any industry of our daily life, will find avenues for ex- 
pression in the trade and technical journals, and in the 
columns of the newspapers. 

The housewife who understands the care of a window 
garden, the making of home delicacies, the refining arts 
of housewifery, will find an open door to the publication 
in the domestic journals and in the special departments 
of newspapers and magazines. 

The teacher through the press and the educational 
journals may preside over a larger school than that 
afforded by the occupants of the benches in her school- 
room. 

Through the religious journals the preacher may num- 
ber his congregations by the thousands, in addition to 
those whom he addresses on Sunday. 

The man of out-door life and strength of arm or leg, 
of skill with rod or gun, may tell of the life that he knows 
best through the various journals devoted to recreation 
and sportsmanship. 

The funny man, too, has his place in the procession, 
and the humorist, and those whose profession is to look 
upon the bright side of life are gladly welcome, not only 
to humorous papers but also to some columns of nearly 
every periodical. 

The traveler, who trots the globe around, or peers into 
the strange nooks and corners of the world, will find 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 61 

itching ears to hear, through the columns of the press, 
of the strange or wonderful things which he has seen. 

In fact any one who can write interestingly upon any 
phase of life, vegetable, animal or human : or who can 
describe in an entertaining way any phases of fact or 
fiction concerning this world or any other, may find a 
place awaiting him in the great and growing company of 
writers. 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-THREE. 



HOW TO SUCCEED AS AN AUTHOR. 



By William Dean Howells. 

My regular procedure is first to select the topic of the 
story. This is usually something that has occurred to 
me, perhaps years before, and that has been developed 
by occasionally thinking about it. 

The next step is the selection of characters, which is 
the matter of greatest care and study, and I never map 
out the exact course of the story in advance. Naturally 
I have a more or less distinct notion of how it is to go, 
but I find that after I begin writing one chapter suggests 
another and the story grows of itself. 

Do I receive requests for advice from young writers? 
Very often, and if the number of such inquiries coming to 
me affords any indication there is no danger of the extinc- 
tion of the American novel, of which some critics seem 
to be afraid. 

There isn't much that can be said to these young aspir- 
ants for literary fame. The best advice I know is : "Go 
ahead, do your best, write the truth that you have as you 
see it ; and if one other person feels and appreciates it as 
you do the effort will not have been wasted." 

Writing is so different from other kinds of work, it 
depends so much upon individual character and habits of 
mind that it is impossible to lay down any hard and fast 
rules in relation to it. No sooner have you done so than 



62 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

somebody violates them all and still comes out on top. 
Still it may be possible for an old stager, who has kept 
in more or less intimate touch with the literary world for 
a good many years to say a word or two, chiefly in the 
way of encouraging and reassuring the beginner, that will 
not be wasted. 

I will not attempt to instruct the beginner as to how 
to prepare himself or herself (we mustn't forget the 
"her" in this) for writing. As I said before, literature 
is bound by no hard and fast rules. There is no set of 
books, as in law or engineering, from which one must get 
his first principles. I don't mean that an acquaintance 
with the best writing is of no value, but of vastly greater 
importance is the ability and habit of observing the life 
that exists about one, which nobody has yet put into a 
book. 

If the young person we are discussing has the gifts of 
mind which will make him a successful writer these quali- 
ties may be safely left to indicate the course which his 
"preparation" shall take. Only in this way can variety, 
originality and strength be preserved in our literature. 

From this you may see that I am not one of those who 
constantly uphold the classic standards as models for the 
young literary workers. I guess that fact is well enough 
known to those who are sufficiently acquainted with me 
to be interested in what I say. The natural development 
of the novel has been from the classic, through the 
romantic, to the naturalistic. I like the latter term better 
than realistic because realism, in the minds of many per- 
sons, is associated with what is sordid and unpleasant. 

Of course that isn't true, for reality has its cheerful and 
encouraging sides as well as the reverse. Realism or nat- 
uralism being the present, and perhaps the permanent, 
garb of the novel in its highest form, it follows that the 
writer's only text book which he must never disregard is 
life, life in some one of its infinite phases. Sincerity is 
the great essential. Truth is the one motto that the young 
writer should put in big letters above his desk. So long 
as he conforms to that his work cannot be wholly lost. 

The tendency of recent years has been, I think, toward 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 63 

naturalism. By that I do not mean that it has com- 
manded the greatest number of readers. Mankind, at 
least the majority of him, is conservative, sticks to 
accepted standards, demands the same kind of food that 
he has been accustomed to. 

But I think it an evidence of advanced and educated 
literary taste that the most intelligent element of the read- 
ing public now demands, not an absorbing story, but a 
strong delineation of character, a bit of nature or life 
transplanted to the pages of a book. It is well for the 
young writer to get it thoroughly settled in his mind that 
nobody in the future will be reckoned great who is false 
to humanity and that there is no true picture of life 
which is not, by that fact, a work of art. The question 
for the writer to ask himself constantly and searchingly 
in contemplating his work is, "Is it true — true to the 
thoughts and principles that shape life?" 

As an example of the tendency to subordinate plot take 
Tolstoi, who is, perhaps, the greatest of realists. Some 
of his stories are scarcely more than exquisite delineations 
of character and motives and yet they are masterpieces 
of fiction. 

I never copy the character of an individual. That 
would be to give a portrait. What is taken represents a 
type. Every character created by an author comes from 
his own individuality. 

When our young person sets out in a serious attempt to 
write, having fully absorbed, let us say, the life about him, 
he is surprised to find that it is hard work. He decides 
that he cannot hope to become great for he has been 
taught that the great writer, the genius in literature, 
throws off his masterpieces without an effort. I know of 
nothing more discouraging to the young writer than this 
genius theory, and for the relief of any to whom it still 
exists as a bugaboo, I will say that I am pretty sure it's 
a myth. The only genius worth talking about in writing 
as in everything else is the genius of hard work. 

Of course brains are necessary and not all men have 
the mental equipment to become successful authors, but 
the idea that good literature comes as a sort of heaven- 



64 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

sent inspiration is erroneous. Not to mention myself, I 
can say from my acquaintance with successful authors 
that most of the good literature of recent years has been 
ground out by painstaking and laborious work. I suspect 
that the same thing would be found to be true of earlier 
writers, had there been newspapers and reviews to probe 
into their daily lives and habits of work. 

Closely akin to this genius delusion is the idea that a 
man can write with good results only when the fit is on 
him. This is a lazy man's theory, but it is easy for a 
young author to persuade himself into it. The only way 
for a writer to accomplish anything is to set aside certain 
hours of the day (not too many) for his work, and devote 
himself to the work then as completely as though he were 
in an office or a factory. It may be hard at first, but he 
will soon become accustomed to it, and will grow into 
the habit of working at that time. 

I don't believe in trying to write so many hundred 
words every day, but if the writer devotes a certain 
amount of time to his task, even if he does not accomplish 
much at each sitting, he will find the results mounting 
up in a satisfactory way. The man who waits for inspira- 
tion is likely to wait a long time for recognition. 

I don't believe that a writer should try to lose himself 
in his story, as is so often recommended. The advice 
sounds well, but it isn't sound. I hold that the greatest 
actor is the one who never forgets himself, and so it is 
in writing. The author should stand constantly in the 
attitude of critic and inquire, "Is this true? Is it the 
way such a character would act or speak under such cir- 
cumstances?" He should have all his characters clearly 
delineated. They should stand out plainly before his 
mind's eye. But, after all, they are the creations of his 
own individuality, and must remain so, if the story is to 
be worth anything. 

As to the best time and the best way to work each man 
must decide for himself. I used to do most of my work at 
night, a survival of the newspaper habit, I suppose. But 
now I have changed to the morning, and nearly all my 
work is done before the noon hour. I think that that is 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 65 

really the best time, that a man's mind is fresher and more 
vigorous then. In composing I generally use a pen, 
because I want to see the last word or sentence I have 
written, where careful thought is involved and I am going 
slowly. But I have a typewriter in my study, and when 
I see plain sailing ahead I turn to that. 

I may say, too, that my greatest difficulty, and one that 
I probably share with many other writers, is in making a 
beginning. It is mighty hard work sometimes to start a 
story that always carries itself along once it is under way. 

It is often said that too many books are written now- 
adays. I don't agree with that. 



Practical Proof Reading 



LESSON NUMBER TWENTY-FOUR. 



HOW TO READ PROOF. 

Proof reading is itself a profession. It is a work which 
requires no little technical education and is in turn very 
educative. To succeed as a proofreader one must have 
an accurate knowledge of spelling, punctuation, grammar 
and rhetoric. The work also affords an opportunity to 
acquire a large fund of knowledge, for articles on di- 
versified subjects fall daily under the proofreader's eye. 

Many famous newspaper men have begun as proof- 
readers and gone to the highest positions on the paper. 
Harold Frederic, the world-famed correspondent and nov- 
elist, was once a proofreader on a Syracuse paper. Wil- 
liam Dean Howels, the present dean of American litera- 
ture, is a first-class proofreader. John Russell Young, 
newspaper-man, congressman and foreign minister, began 
his career in the proof-room of The Philadelphia Press. 

Every writer should know proof reading, and most 
business and professional men frequently have occasion 
to correct proof. It is highly essential, therefore, that the 
young journalist and author should early become ac- 
quainted with the characters and principles of practical 
proof reading. They will find it worth while to thor- 
oughly master the following lesson. 

DEFINITIONS. 

Copy. — This word really means something to be imi- 
tated, and it is used by printers when referring to the 
manuscript of a writer. 

Proof -Sheet. — When the copy is set up in type, an 
impression in ink is taken for corrections. This is called 
a proof-sheet. In correcting proof, the first thing to be 
done is to place the copy in the hands of some one to 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 67 

read aloud, while the proofreader pays attention princi- 
pally to omissions, the spelling and capitalization of 
words, and punctuation. After this, the proof should be 
carefully examined to detect -what are called typograph- 
ical errors — mistakes in type. 

Revise. — After the corrections indicated in the proof 
are made, another impression is taken. This is called the 
revise. The revise should be carefully compared with the 
proof, to see that all corrections are made. 



INTRODUCTORY REMARK. 

Attention should be called to a mistake in the proof by 
certain marks which will hereafter be described, and the 
corrections should be indicated in the margin, on the right 
or left of the line in which they occur. If mistakes are 
found near the beginning of the line, the corrections 
should be placed in the margin on the left, otherwise they 
should be placed on the right. The numbers in the fol- 
lowing statements refer to lines of the accompanying 
specimen proof-sheet. 

I. Wrong Letters and Punctuation Marks. — The most 
common mistakes in a proof-sheet are wrong letters and 
punctuation marks. When these are noticed, a line 
should be drawn slopingly, from right to left, through 
each, and the correct letter or punctuation mark written 
in the margin to left. It is better to repeat the line 
with the correction in the margin, so as to attract atten- 
tion to the desired change; as, 2, 4, 8. A sloping line 
should always be placed between corrections opposite the 
same line, and the corrections should be placed in the 
order in which they occur. 



1. The correction in the margin should always be 
placed to the left of the sloping line; as, 2, 3, 4, 8. 

2. The period, dash, hyphen, etc., should be distin- 
guished in the margin, thus : — O — / /-/ 

For illustrations, see 6, 10. 

3. If it is necessary to change a capital letter to a 
small letter, draw a line through the capital, and either 



68 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

write a small letter in the margin, or the abbreviation 
/. c, lower case, which indicates that a common letter is 
to be used; as, 3. 

4. The abbreviation w. /., wrong font, indicates that a 
letter is of improper size. 

II. Wrong Words. — When an entire word is incorrect, 
a straight line should be drawn through it, and the proper 
word written in the margin; as, 5. 

REMARK. 

When it is necessary to change a word, printed in capi- 
tals, to small letters, draw a line through the word, and 
write /. c. in the margin; as, 16. See I., Rem. 3. 

III. Omissions. — If a letter, punctuation mark, or 
word is omitted, the omission should be indicated by a 
caret, and the omitted letter, punctuation mark, or word 
placed in the margin ; as, 3, 6. 



1. When the period, dash, hyphen, quotation marks, or 
reference marks are omitted, they should be distinguished 
in the margin as in I., Rem. 2. 

2. A sloping line should always be made in the margin, 
to the right of an omitted letter or punctuation mark; 
as, 3. 

3. If several words or lines are omitted, it is sometimes 
necessary to write the words at the top or bottom of the 
proof. When this is the case, a line should be drawn from 
the caret to the words to be inserted; as, 25. 

4. Sometimes so much has been omitted that it is 
necessary to refer to the copy. When this is so, indicate 
the omission by a caret, write See Copy in the margin, 
and inclose within parenthetical marks or brackets the 
portion of the copy to be inserted in the proof. 

IV. Inverted Letter. — When a letter is inverted, a 
sloping line should be drawn through it, and the change 
indicated in the margin by a character resembling an 
inverted 6; as, 13. 



Some proofreaders draw a line under the inverted let- 
ter, but this is not so easily recognized as a sloping line 
drawn through the letter. 

V. Strike Out. — It is sometimes necessary to strike out 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 69 

a letter, punctuation mark, or word. A line should be 
drawn through each, as in I. and II., and the sign which 
means strike out placed in the margin; as, 9, 19. 

VI. Capitals and Italics. — Three lines drawn under a 
word indicate that the word should be printed in large 
capitals; two lines, small capitals; one line, italics. The 
abbreviations, Caps., S. Caps., Ital., should also be writ- 
ten in the margin; as, 1, 2. 



1. If a word is italicized and it is desirable to change it 
to the ordinary type, draw a line under it, and write Rom., 
the abbreviation for Roman, in the margin; as, 15. 

2. To change a word printed in capitals to small let- 
ters, see II., Rem. 

VII. Spacing.- — When there is too great a space be- 
tween two letters, the letters should be connected by the 
marks meaning to close up, and the same sign should be 
repeated in the margin; as, 21. The single mark con- 
necting two words and repeated in the margin, indicates 
too great a space between words; as, 23. 

When there is not sufficient space between two words, 
a caret is used to indicate the want of space, and the sign 
$: written in the margin; as, 25. 



1. When there is not space enough between two lines, 
or there is too much, the fact can be indicated as in 7 and 
8, 13 and 14. 

2. When a space is not left at the commencement of a 
paragraph, a caret indicates the want of space, and the 
sign □ is placed in the margin; as, 17. 

VIII. Paragraphs. — When a new paragraph is de- 
sired, the .sign [ should be inserted in the proof, before 
the first word of the new paragraph, and the sign fl 
should be placed in the margin; as, 10. 

When two paragraphs are to be run together, they 
should be connected by a line, and No fl" written in the 
margin ; as, 24. 

REMARKS. 

1. The line connecting the two paragraphs is usually 



70 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

so readily recognized that an additional sign in the mar- 
gin is not always required. 

2. For space at the commencement of a paragraph, see 
VII., Rem. 2. 

IX. Correction to be Disregarded. — Dots placed under 
a word, and Stet, which means let it stand, written in the 
margin, indicate that a correction is to be disregarded; 
as, 25. 

X. Broken Letters. — When it is necessary to call the 
attention of the printer to a broken letter, a line should 
be drawn under it, and the sign X placed in the margin; 
as, 21. 



It is the custom with some proofreaders to draw a slop- 
ing line through the broken letter, and repeat the letter in 
the margin. This is sometimes a great convenience to 
the printer, especially when the letter is so badly injured 
that it cannot be recognized ; for, unless the printer is 
familiar with the spelling of the word, it may be neces- 
sary, with considerable inconvenience, to refer to the copy. 

XI. Transpose. — When two words should change 
places, the custom is to draw a line over the first, con- 
tinue it under the second, and write tr., the abbreviation 
for transpose, in the margin ; as, 26. 

REMARKS. 

1. When several letters in a word are not in their 
proper order, either draw a line through the word and re- 
write it in the margin, or draw a line under or through 
the letters, and write them in their proper order. 

2. When the order of several words is to be changed, 
indicate the proper order by placing 1, 2. 3, 4, &c, over 
the words, draw a straight line under each, and write tr. 
in the margin. 

XII. Crooked Words. — When the letters of a word are 
displaced, draw a line above and below the word, and re- 
peat the lines in the margin ; as, 28. The same marks 
are used to call attention to a crooked line. 

XIII. Projecting Leads. — When a lead projects so 
as to leave an impression on the proof, a sloping line 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 71 

should be drawn through it, and the sign placed in the 
margin; as, 22. 

XIV. Diphthongs. — When ae and oe should be printed 
as diphthongs, a line should be drawn through them, and 
the letters forming the dipthong written in the margin. 

XV. Mark of Attention. — The sign + is sometimes 
used to call the attention of the printer to some defect 
in a word or line. 

A GENERAL RULE. 

In correcting proof the novice should keep in mind a 
general rule which applies to all journalistic and printed 
matter, namely — make as few alterations as possible. The 
"story" should be carefully prepared in the manuscript 
form. Time and expense will be saved in so doing. The 
patience of the editor or the printer may also be preserved 
by a little extra work upon the manuscript. In fact a 
little pains here may save a "story" which otherwise 
might be rejected by the editor. 

In these days of Linotype machine-composition, every 
correction means resetting a whole line. The machine 
does not set separate types, but casts each line in a solid 
piece of metal, technically called a "slug." This of 
course cannot be corrected like hand-set type. The in- 
sertion of a couple of words will sometimes mean the 
resetting of a long paragraph, and the loss of much valu- 
able time. Alterations which do not change the sense of 
the passage should, therefore, seldom be made. 

Yet in long articles alterations are sometimes neces- 
sary. Especially is this true in journalism when the 
article has been written in anticipation of a certain event, 
or when later developments have changed the complexion 
of the matter in hand. Then every change in the interest 
of the facts in the case should be carefully made. But 
as a rule part with your manuscript as you would like to 
meet it in print. 



1 


Iftga/U. 


Description of a Palace in a Valley. 




1 


2 


Ye who listen with credulity to the 


2 


3 


fl 


whispers of ^Fancy and pursue with 


7 


3 


4 


a/ 


egerness the phantoms of hope/who 


// 


4 


5 


will 


expect that age -shall- perform the 




5 


6 


of 


promises youth, and that the defi^ 


/-/ 


6 


7 




ciencies of the present day will be 


< lead. 


7 


8 


V 


supplyed by the morrow, attend to 




8 


9 




the history of Rasselasp, prince of 


? 


9 


10 





Abyssinia / [Rasselas was the fourth 


IT 


10 


11 




son of the mighty emperor, in whose 




11 


12 




dominions the father of waters be- 




12 


13 

14 


9 


gins his course ; wjfose bounty pours 
down the streams of plenty, and 


-& Uad. 


13 
14 


15 


mom. 


scatters over half the world the har- 




15 


16 


it. 


vests of EovrT— 




16 


17 


n The place which the wisdom or 




17 


18 




policy of antiquity had destined for 




18 


19 


9* the 4he- residence of the roSyssinian 


41 


19 


20 




princes, was a spacious valley in the 




20 


21 


X 


kingdom of AmJ*ara, surrounded on 


c 


21 


22 




every side by mountains, of which 


1 


22 


23 




the summits- overhung w the middle 


w 


23 


24 


#>H 


part. — n 

^— The only passage by which it 




24 


25 


9hk 


^eu4d- be entered, was a cavern, of 


# 


25 


26 


which it has been \long) /disputed 


26 


27 


- — 


whether it was the? work /of nature 




27 


28 


or of hu m an industry. / 


28 






^ — ^l)r. Johnson. 







ihaii flawed umdti a hock, 



DESCRIPTION OF A PALACE 
IN. A VALLEY. 

Ye who listen with credulity to the 
whispers of fancy, and pursue with 
eagerness the phantoms of hope ; 
who expect that age will perform the 
promises of youth, and that the de- 
ficiencies of the present day will be 
supplied by the morrow, attend to 
the history of Rasselas, prince of 
Abyssinia. 

Rasselas was the fourth son of the 
mighty emperor, in whose dominions 
the father of waters begins his 
course; whose bounty pours down 
the streams of plenty, and scatters 
over half the world the harvests of 
Egypt. 

The place which the wisdom or 
policy of antiquity had destined for 
the residence of the Abyssinian 
princes, was a spacious valley in the 
kingdom of Amhara, surrounded on 
every side by mountains, of which 
the summits overhung the middle 
part. The only passage by which 
it could be entered, was a cavern 
that passed under a rock, of which 
it has long been disputed whether it 
was the work of nature or of human 
industry. 

Dr. Johnson. 



Book II— Markets for Manuscripts 



WHERE TO SELL SHORT STORIES AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES 
THE RATES PERIODICALS PAY FOR MATERIAL. 

The leading magazines pay a minimum rate of $5 
a page for acceptable articles, and upwards to hundreds 
and even thousands of dollars a page. Former President 
Cleveland, who was not a literary man, was paid $1000 
for a short article. Popular writers like Mrs. Alice 
Hegan can command $10,000 for a serial story from any 
of the leading magazines. 

The minimum rate on the Century Magazine is $10 a 
page. The same company also publishes the St. Nicholas 
Magazine, in which the minimum rate is $8 a page. Some 
magazines pay by the word and the price ranges from 
one cent a word up. The lowest rate on Collier's Maga- 
zine is two cents a word. This magazine recently pub- 
lished a series of Sherlock Holmes stories for which A. 
Conan Doyle was paid sixty cents a word. Richard 
Harding Davis can get fifteen cents a word, and Rudyard 
Kipling commands about twenty-five cents a word. 

The best newspapers pay from $5 to $8 a column for 
material. The New York World pays $7 a column; the 
New York Evening Telegram, $5 ; the New York Times, 
$6 ; the New York Journal, $7, and the New York Sun 
$8 a column. 

These are the minimum rates and also the usual rates, 
but some contributions of great interest or by noted writ- 
ers command much more money. 

The author should study carefully the class of maga- 
zines or papers to which he intends to send his stories. 
He should be a student of stories, and a student of story 
publishing periodicals. 

Do not be discouraged if the first editor does not accept 
your story. Some of the best productions have found the 
hardest acceptance. Before you have completed half the 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 75 

list of magazines you will probably have found a pur- 
chaser. 

Keep a record of your manuscripts. A card catalogue 
makes an excellent system. Write the name of each story 
at the head of a card, and arrange the cards alphabet- 
ically, reserving an entire card for data concerning the 
story, with the names of publishers to whom it is sent. 

Do not wait for your stories to be accepted before at- 
tempting others. Send them out, as fast as they are 
written, to find a purchaser, and put new ships on the 
stocks as soon as the others are launched. 

The following list of publishers will help the student 
to find a market for his production. 



NEWSPAPER SYNDICATES. 



Associated Sunday Magazines, 52 E. Nineteenth St., New 
York. — Publishes high grade supplement of Sunday 
papers of the country. Stories from 2,000 to 4,000 
words accepted. Also stories of real life, poems, 
jokes and humorous articles. 

A. N. Kellogg Newspaper Co., Chicago, 111. — General 
newspaper material. Miscellany for all departments. 

Daily Story Publishing Co., 320 Dearborn St., Chicago. — 
Buys short stories containing the love element, not 
exceeding 1,800 words, for daily papers. 

Illustrated Press Syndicate, 116 Nassau St., New York. — 
Buys short stories, feature articles and general news- 
paper and magazine miscellany. 

Sampson-Hodges Co., 159 La Salle St., Chicago. — Pub- 
lishes short stories and general miscellany. 

S. S. McClure Syndicate, New York. — Purchases general 
miscellany for newspaper publication. Also material 
for the McClure magazines. 

Hearst Syndicate, New York. — Uses short stories and 
general miscellany for the Hearst papers and press 
of the country. 



76 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

THE LARGEST AND BEST PAYING NEWS- 
PAPERS IN THE UNITED STATES 
AND CANADA. 



THEY ARE ALSO THE BEST NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING 
MEDIUMS. 

We do not mention other excellent papers which buy 
material, for the student will have full knowledge of the 
smaller papers in his vicinity, and it will not be worth 
while to send material to small papers distant from his 
home. Some of the papers in this list are not great in 
their circulation, but they represent some important center 
of population. 

Abbreviations: M. — morning except Sunday; M. and 
S. — morning and Sunday; E. — evening except Sunday; E. 
S. evening and Sunday; M. E. and S. — morning, evening, 
and Sunday. The figures following names of papers 
indicate their approximate circulation. For the conven- 
ience of ready reference the list is arranged alphabetically. 

To avoid repeating the name of the city, the state is 
indicated in parentheses, where there is a possibility of 
confusion. 

Albany (N. Y.) Times-Union, E., 20,000. 

Albany (N. Y.) Journal, E., 16,251. 

Atlanta (Ga.) Journal, E., 50,000. 

Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution, M. and S., 30,000. 

Boston Globe, M. and S., 200,000. 

Boston Herald, M. and S., 75,000. 

Boston Journal, M., E. and S., 83,270. 

Boston American, M. and S., 20,000. 

Boston Post, M. and S., 237,848. 

Burlington (Vt.) News, E., 6,967. 

Brooklyn (N. Y.) Eagle, E. and S., 100,000 to 500,000. 

Baltimore News, E., 69,314. 

Baltimore American, M. and S., 72,000. 

Buffalo Express, M. and S., 20,000. 

Buffalo Courier, M. and S., 53,000. 

Binghampton (N. Y.) Press, E., 30,000. 

Birmingham (Ala.) News, E., 17,500. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 77 

Bangor (Me.) News, M. and S., 10,634. 

Chicago Tribune, M. and S., 162,204. 

Chicago Daily News, E., 318,185. 

Chicago Record-Herald, M. and S., 160,000. 

Chicago Examiner, E. and S., 175,000. 

Cincinnati Enquirer, M. and S., 150,000. 

Cleveland Press, E., 149,610. 

Christian Science Monitor, Boston. 

Cleveland Plain Dealer, M. and S., 72,216. 

Cleveland News, E., 74,377. 

Charleston (S.C.) News and Courier, M. and S., 4,000. 

Denver Post, E. and S., 53,008. 

Denver News, M. and S., 42,894. 

Des Moines (la.) News, E. and S., 40,833. 

Des Moines Capital, E., 44,763. 

Des Moines Leader, M. and S., 27,514. 

Detroit News-Tribune, M., E. and S., 100,000. 

Detroit Free Press, M. and S., 40,771. 

Dallas News, M. and S., 10,000. 

Elmira Star, E., 9,388. 

Galveston News, M. and S., 6,000. 

Houston Post, M. and S., 19,369. 

Indianapolis News, E., 75,233. 

Indianapolis Star, E., 88,300. 

Jacksonville Metropolis, E., 9,432. 

Jacksonville Times-Union, M. and S., 6,000. 

Kentucky Post (Covington, Ky.), E., 13,902. 

Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Me.), 7,656. 

Kansas City Star, M. and S., 132,361. 

Los Angeles Times, M. and S., 30,000. 

Louisville (Ky.) Post, E., 28,733. 

Louisville .Courier- Journal, M. and S., 35,000. 

Memphis Commercial Appeal, M. and S., 40,000. 

Minneapolis Journal, E., 74,054. 

Minneapolis Tribune, M., E. and S., 90,000. 

Milwaukee Sentinel, 30,000. 

New York World, M., E. and S., 75,000. 

New York Herald, M. and S., 75,000. 

New York American, M., E. and S., 75,000. 

New York Tribune, M. and S., 40,000. 



78 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

New York Sun, M., E. and S., 75,000. 

New Orleans Times-Democrat, 9,000. 

New Orleans Picayune, 11,000. 

Newark News (N. J.), E. and S., 49,175. 

Oakland Enquirer, E., 6,500. 

Oakland Tribune, E., 26,704. 

Oklahoma Oklahoman, 13,918. 

Philadelphia Enquirer, M. and S., 75,000. 

Philadelphia Bulletin, E., 222,480. 

Philadelphia North American, M. and S., 40,000. 

Philadelphia Press, M. and S., 100,000. 

Providence Journal, M. and S., 19,000. 

Portland (Oregon) Journal, 25,578. 

Portland (Me.) Express, E., 12,306. 

Portland (Me.) Argus, E., 5,622. 

Pittsburg Dispatch, M. and S., 53,462. 

Pittsburg Press, E. and S., 79,380. 

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, M. and S., 30,881. 

Richmond (Va.) Times- Dispatch, M. and S., 17,500. 

St. Louis Globe-Democrat, M. and S., 75,000. 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 154,937. 

Syracuse Herald, E. and S., 30,526. 

Salt Lake Tribune, M. and S., 12,000. 

Sacramento Bee, E., 13,558. 

Springfield (Mass.) Republican, M. and S., 16,368. 

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, M. and S., 200,000. 

St. Paul (Minn.) Dispatch, E., 69,000. 

San Francisco Chronicle, M. and S., 79,924. 

San Francisco Examiner, M. and S., 75,000. 

Seattle Times, E., 42,172. 

Spokane Spokesman, M. and S., 20,000. 

Tacoma News, E., 12,207. 

Toledo Times, M. and S., 49,996. 

Worcester (Mass.) Telegram, M. and S., 27,857. 

Washington Star, E., 35,577. 

Washington Post, M. and S., 20,000. 

Washington Times, M. and S., 40,000. 

CANADA 

Montreal Star, 60,000. 
Montreal Witness, E., 10,000. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 79 

Toronto News, E., 37,581. 
Toronto Mail, M. and E., 38,638. 
Ottawa Citizen, M. and E., 12,235. 
Ottawa Journal, E., 9,343. 



HOUSEHOLD AND FASHION MAGAZINES 



BUY MATERIAL AS INDICATED IN THE LIST. 

American Woman, Augusta, Maine. — Pays on publica- 
tion for short articles on household matters. 

Delineator, New York. — Short stories, articles of general 
interest to women and the household. It is a high- 
class magazine with a juvenile department. 

Good Housekeeping, Springfield, Mass.— Short stories, 
articles, and verse. Pays on acceptance. 

Gentlewoman, German Herald Building, New York. — 
Articles on practical work for women, the care of 
children and gardening. 

Harper's Bazaar, New York. — Miscellaneous articles of 
interest to women, not exceeding 3,000 words. Also 
uses short stories and pays on publication. 

Home Monthly, 225 William St., New York. — Serial 
stories, short stories, poetry and stories for children. 
Pays on publication. 

Housewife, 52 Duane St., New York. — Short Stories, 
articles on dress, fashion, patterns, and general 
household miscellany. Pays on acceptance. 

Housekeeper, Minneapolis, Minn. — Stories and articles 
not exceeding 3,000 words. Must be bright and 
interesting. 

Household Ledger, New York. — Short stories, illustrated 
articles, and articles pertaining to the household, of 
1,200 words. 

Home Magazine, Minneapolis, Minn. — Fictional stories. 
Pays on publication. 

Ladies' Home Journal, Philadelphia, Pa. — A high-class 
home magazine. Short stories not exceeding 3,000 
words. Also articles of general interest to women, 
not exceeding 1,500 words. 



So PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Ladies' World, New York. — Short stories and serials, 
sketches of about 1,000 words. Also children's 
stories and travel articles. Pays on publication. 

McCall's Magazine, 138 14th St., New York. — Articles 
on household hints, fancy work for ladies and gen- 
eral topics of the times. From 200 to 600 words. 

Mogy's Magazine, Omaha, Neb. — Short stories and anec- 
dotes not to exceed 3,000 words. Pays on publica- 
tion. 

Modes and Fabrics, New York. — Short stories of about 
1,500 words, also short articles on household enter- 
tainments, of special interest to women and the 
home. 

Pacific Home Journal, Los Angeles, Cal. — Short stories 
and miscellaneous articles for home departments. 

Table Talk, Philadelphia, Pa. — Articles on domestic 
economy and methods of living, not exceeding 2,000 
words. Pays on publication. 

Twentieth Century Home, Iriving-on-the-Hudson, New 
York. — High-class journal. Fictional stories and 
miscellaneous articles of general interest. 

Vogue, 156 Fifth Ave., New York. — Short stories not 
exceeding 1,500 words. Also articles on fashion and 
society, famous festivities and dinners. Pays on 
publication. 

Woman's Home Companion, New York. — An illustrated 
monthly. Short stories, not exceeding 3,000 words. 
Illustrated articles on travel and general articles not 
exceeding 2,000 words. Pays on acceptance. 

Woman's World, Chicago, 111. — Short stories and articles 
of special interest to women. Pays on publication. 

Woman's Home Journal, Boston, Mass. — Short stories. 
Pays on publication. 

Wright's Magazine, Chicago, 111. — General miscellany. 
Pays on publication. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP Si 



MAIL ORDER MAGAZINES. 



Home Folks, The Home Maker, Household Guest, 
and Home Life, all of Chicago; Comfort, Lane's List, 
both of Augusta, Maine; Welcome Guest, Portland, 
Maine; People's Popular Monthly, Des Moines, Iowa; 
Woman's Home Journal, Popular Fashions, Springfield, 
Mass. ; Home Treasury, American Nation and Fire- 
side Gem, all of Waterville, Maine; Metropolitan and 
Rural Home, Paragon Monthly, The Gentlewoman, 
Home Monthly, Cheerful Moments, Illustrated Compan- 
ion, The Hearthstone, and Modern Stories, all of New 
York City. 



POPULAR AND LITERARY MAGAZINES AND 
PERIODICALS. 



BUY MATERIAL AS INDICATED IN THE LIST. 

These magazines are always looking for fiction of the 
highest type. Stories under 6,000 words are preferred. 
But few of them use serials from 40,000 to 100,000 
words. 

In sending material the writer should first look over 
copies of the magazine and decide which publication uses 
stories similar to the one he has to sell. The best known 
of these magazines will pay from two to five cents a 
word : those not so well known, one and two cents a word. 
Ainslee's Magazine, New York. — Short stories, from 

2,000 to 6,000 words. Pays on acceptance. 
All Story Magazine, New York. — Short stories. 
American Magazine, New York. — Short stories. 
Appleton's, New York. — Short stories. 
Arena, New York. — Articles on scientific and popular 

subjects and some short stories. Pays on acceptance. 
Argonaut, San Francisco. — Literary and society journal. 

Short stories, from 1,500 to 3,000 words. Pays 

about $5.00 per thousand words on acceptance. 



82 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Argosy, New York. — Short stories and serials. Also 
stories of travel and adventure. Pays on accept- 
ance. 

Atlantic Monthly, Boston. — Serial and short stories. 
Also essays and poetry. 

Blue Book Magazine, Chicago. — Short stories. 

Bulletin, Pittsburg, Pa. — Short stories and articles per- 
taining to music, art and the stage. 

Black Cat, Boston, Mass.— Short stories from 1,000 to 
5,000 words. Pays on publication. 

Bay View Magazine, Flint, Mich. — Articles of travel and 
information, also educational matter. 

Broadway Magazine, New York. — Illustrated. Articles 
pertaining to the stage. Some short stories from 
1,000 to 5,000 words. Anecdotes. Pays on accept- 
ance. 

Banner of Gold, Chicago, 111. — Short stories and articles 
for woman's department and children. 

Bookman, New York. — Biographical sketches of writers 
and articles of special interest to literary workers, 
from 1,200 to 5,000 words. Pays on publication. 

Century, New York. — Short stories— $10 a thousand 
words. 

Catholic World, New York. — Articles on literature and 
art, and matters pertaining to the Catholic Church. 

Chattaquan, Chicago, 111. — Short stories and articles on 
educational subjects not to exceed 2,500 words. Pays 
on acceptance. 

Cheerful Moments, New York. — Love stories not exceed- 
ing 1,800 words. Pays on publication. 

Collier's Weekly, New York. — Timely articles from 500 
to 2,000 words. Short stories of travel and informa- 
tion. Pays on acceptance. 

Coast, The, Seattle, Wash. — Short stories and articles of 
special interest to the West. 

Cosmopolitan, New York. — Short stories — $10 a thou- 
sand words. 

Criterion, New York. — Short stories, also sketches and 
brief articles on timely topics. Articles for its sport- 
ing department. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP S3 

Critic, New York. — Literary articles only. 

I Jonahoe's Magazine, Boston, Mass. — Short stories, from 

2,000 to 6,000 words. Travel articles and articles 

for children. Pays on publication. 
Era, The, New York.— Stories from 100 to 6,000 words. 

also other first-class magazine articles. Pays on 

publication. 
Everybody's Magazine, New York. — Short stories and 

general magazine miscellany. Pays on acceptance. 
Everybody's, New York. — Short stories. 
Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, New York. — -Serials, 

stories of adventure and short stories not to exceed 

4,000 words. Pays on acceptance. 
Family Story Paper, The, New York. — Serials and short 

stories not to exceed 3,000 words. 
Forum, The, New York. — Articles on education, science 

and religion, new methods and new discoveries. 
Gray Goose, Franklin, Ohio. — Short stories and poems. 
Green Book Magazine, Chicago.— Short stories and theat- 
rical news. 
Hampton's, New York. — Stories of many kinds — $10 

a thousand words. 
Harper's Weekly, New York.- — Serials and short stories, 

the latter not to exceed 4,000 words — $10 a 

thousand words. 
Harper's Monthly, New York. — Short stories and general 

timely articles of a high class. 
Human Life, Boston. — Stories about people. 
Illustrated Companion, New York. — Stories of American 

Life; travel and descriptive articles. 
Interior, The, Chicago, 111. — Short stories of a moral 

trend, from 1,500 to 2,000 words. Pays on accept- 
ance. 
Lippincott's Magazine, Philadelphia. — Short stories from 

3,000 to 5,000 words. Also one complete novel, not 

exceeding 60,000 words; general articles. Pays on 

acceptance. 
Lane's Periodical List, Augusta, Maine. — Short stories, 

articles of information and agricultural articles. 

Pays on acceptance. 



84 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Munsey's Magazine, New York. — Storiettes. Short stories, 
2,000 to 3,500 words. General miscellany. Pays 
on acceptance — $10 a thousand words. 

McClure's Magazine, New York. — Serial, short stories 
and travel articles. Pays on acceptance. 

Metropolitan Magazine, New York. — Articles dealing 
with actors and actresses. Also short stories. 

New England Magazine, Boston, Mass. — Short stories 
with scenes laid in New England, not more than 
5,000 words. Also serials and general articles with 
some poetry. 

North American Review, New York. — Articles on poli- 
tics, science, literature, religion and finance. 

Outing, New York. — Short stories, articles on running, 
aquatics, field games, amateur photography and ad- 
venture. 

Overland Monthly, San Francisco. — Material and stories 
pertaining to the West. 

Overland Monthly, San Francisco.- — Short stories. 

Open Court, The, Chicago. — Essays, articles on sociology 
and religion. 

Pacific Home Journal, Los Angeles, Cal. — Short stories 
and articles pertaining to the household. 

Pacific Monthly, Portland, Oregon. — Stories. 

Pearson's Magazine, New York. — Short stories from 1,000 
words up. Timely articles and articles of travel and 
adventure. Pays on publication. 

Popular Magazine, New York. — Short stories of about 
2,000 words. Pays on acceptance. 

Popular Science, New York. — Articles on scientific ques- 
tions of about 5,000 words. 

Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, Pa. — Short stories 
from 2,000 to 6,000 words, anecdotes and general 
miscellany. Pays on acceptance. 

Short Stories, New York. — Devoted entirely to short 
stories. Pays on acceptance. 

Short Stories, New York. — Short stories and one serial. 

Smart Set, The, New York. — Short stories, preferably of 
fashionable life, smart sayings and poems. Pays on 
acceptance. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 85 

Storiettes, New York. 

Success, New York. — Articles dealing with success and 
progress. Some short stories. 

Sunny South, The, Atlanta, Ga. — Stories from 1,000 to 
2,000 words and general articles. Also poems. Pays 
on publication. 

Sunset Magazine, San Francisco. — Short stories and west- 
ern material. 

The Reader, New York. — Articles on books and their 
writers; some short stories and poems. 

Town Topics, New York. — Sensational short stories and 
humorous paragraphs. 

Ten Story Book, Chicago. — Short stories only. 

Vanity Fair, New York. — Short stories pertaining to stage 
life ; also poems and articles of the same nature. 

Werner's Magazine, New York. — Articles pertaining to 
the culture of the voice. Suggestions for entertain- 
ments of all kinds. 

West Coast Magazine, Los Angeles. — Stories and Cali- 
fornia material. 

World's Work, New York. — Articles on the progress of 
the world, achievement and industry. 



AGRICULTURAL, HORTICULTURAL AND 
FLORAL PERIODICALS. 



BUY MATERIAL AS INDICATED IN THE LIST. 

American Agriculturist, New York. — Practical articles on 
agriculture, horticulture and the household. Also 
true stories of dogs, preferably illustrated. Articles 
not over 1,000 words; short stories 3,000. Pays on 
publication. 

Arkansas Homestead, Little Rock, Arkansas. 

American Farm World, Augusta, Me. 

American Florist, Chicago and New York. — Illustrated 
articles desired. Subjects relating to the greenhouse. 

American Farmer, Indianapolis, Ind. — Articles relating 
to the farm and household. 



86 PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

American Gardening, New York. — All branches of 
amateur and professional gardening considered. Also 
bees, birds and dogs. Pays on acceptance. 

Agricultural Epitomist, Spenser, Ind. — Travel and de- 
scriptive articles from 1,000 to 5,000 words. 

California Cultivator, Los Angeles. — Articles pertaining 
to the West, 500 to 1,000 words. Pays on publica- 
tion. 

Country Gentleman, Albany, N. Y. 

Canadian Thresherman and Farmer, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

Country Life in America, New York. — Illustrated articles 
of outdoor life and advanced horticulture. Pays on 
acceptance. 

Colman's Rural World, St. Louis, Mo. — Articles per- 
taining to the farm and home, and short fictional 
stories. Pays on acceptance. 

Farm and Fireside, Springfield, O. 

Farmer's and Drover's Journal, Chicago. 

Farmers' Guide, Huntington, Ind. 

Farm Gazette, Des Moines, Iowa. 

Florist's Exchange, New York. — All articles of interest 
to greenhouse men. 

Farm, Stock and Home, Minneapolis, Minn. — Articles 
adapted especially to the Northwest. 

Farmer's Home Journal, Chicago, 111. — Farming and 
household articles. Pays on acceptance. 

Field and Farm, Denver, Colo. — Subjects on stock and 
irrigation. Not over 1,500 words. Pays on publica- 
tion; 

Farm and Home, Springfield, Mass. — Articles of 1,000 
words. Also fictional stories. Pays on publication, 
about one cent a word. 

Farm Journal, Philadelphia, Pa. — Short articles pertain- 
ing to the home. Pays on publication. 

Home and Flowers, Springfield, Ohio. — Articles on floral 
culture, poems and short stories; $2 per 1,000 words 
for articles, and reasonable rates for stories. Pays 
on publication. 

Journal of Agriculture, St. Louis, Mo. 

Kansas Farmer, Kansas City, Mo. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 87 

Michigan Farmer, Detroit, Mich. — Articles pertaining to 
poultry, live stock, dairy and horticulture. Pays on 
acceptance about $2 per column. 

Missouri and Kansas Farmer, Kansas City, Mo. — Articles 
pertaining to western farm life. Pays on publication. 

Northwestern Agriculturist, Minneapolis, Minn. 

National Stockman and Farmer, Pittsburg, Pa. — Articles 
not to exceed 1,000 words on growing crops and 
stock, the dairy and orchard. Also short stories and 
children's stories. Pays on publication. 

New York Tribune Farmer, New York. — Pays on pub- 
lication ; $4 per column ; $5 price each week for the 
household department. 

Orange Judd Farmer, Chicago, 111. — Articles on domestic 
matters and short stories. Pays $3 per column on 
publication. 

Ohio Farmer, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Poultry Culture, Kansas City, Mo. — Articles not exceed- 
ing 500 words on poultry culture. 

Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, New Orleans, La. — 
Short articles of this nature well paid for. 

Rural California, Los Angeles, Cal. — Practical articles 
on farming near the Pacific Coast. Pays on accept- 
ance. 

Successful Agriculture, St. Paul, Minn. 

Southern Fruit and Truck Grower, Chattanooga, Tenn. — 
Pays well for articles in this line. 

Southern Agriculturist, Nashville, Tenn. 

Twentieth Century Farmer, Omaha, Neb. 

Texas Farm and Ranch, Dallas. — Pays $1.50 per column 
for articles of all sorts on farm topics. 

Virginia Farmer, Emporia, Va. — Articles on farming in 
which accurate knowledge is given. Pays well. 

Wisconsin Agriculturist, Racine, Wis. — Articles pertain- 
ing to farming. Pays well. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 



JUVENILE PERIODICALS. 



BUY MATERIAL AS INDICATED IN THE LIST. 

American Messenger, New York. — Short stories and 
articles of a religious nature. 

American Boy, Detroit, Mich. — Stories, sketches, and 
biographical articles, also descriptive articles of in- 
terest to boys. 

Boys' World, Girls' Companion, and Young People's 
Weekly, all of Elgin, 111. 

Golden Days, Philadelphia, Pa. — Short stories, serials 
and general miscellany. 

Little Chronicle, Chicago, 111.— Stories and articles on 
topics of the day, especially designed for school use. 

Our Young Folks, St. Louis, Mo. 

St. Nicholas, New York. — Short stories, articles of in- 
formation, travel and poetry. 

Star Monthly, Oak Park, 111. — Serials, short stories and 
general miscellany for boys. 

Young Catholic Messenger, Dayton, O. 

Young People, Philadelphia, Pa. 

Youth's Companion, Boston, Mass. — Illustrated. Not 
strictly a child's paper. Short stories, serials, 
sketches, anecdotes and stories of adventure. 

Young People's Weekly, Chicago, 111. — Short stories for 
young readers, descriptive articles and articles of 
information. 



SPORTING PERIODICALS. 



BUY MATERIAL AS INDICATED IN THE LIST. 

American Field, Chicago, 111. — Articles of adventure, 

hunting and fishing. 
Clipper, New York. — Short stories of sporting events, 

theatrical anecdotes and the like. 
Cat Journal, Palmyra, N. Y. — Anecdotes and articles on 

cats. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 89 

Field and Stream, New York. — Articles on hunting, fish- 
ing and gunning. 

Forest and Stream, New York. — Articles on shooting and 
fishing trips. Instructive articles ; also yachting and 
dog stories. 

Alan's Best Friend, New York. — Stories of dogs, prefer- 
ably illustrated. 

Outing, New York. — Illustrated short stories on hunting, 
fishing and all outdoor sports. 

Outdoor Life, Denver, Colo. — Articles on wild nature, 
outdoor life and sport with rod and gun. 

Rudder, New York. — Articles on yachting, fishing and 
gunning. 

Recreation, New York. 

Sporting Man's Review, Cincinnati, Ohio. — Articles on 
sporting events. 

American Horsebreeder, Boston, Mass. — Articles on 
pedigree and record of horses. 

Shield's Magazine, New York. — General articles of the 
sporting world and sporting events. 



EDUCATIONAL PERIODICALS. 



EDUCATIONAL JOURNALS THAT PAY FOR CONTRIBUTIONS. 

American Education, Albany, N. Y. 
American Journal of Education, Milwaukee, Wis. 
American Primary Teacher, Boston, Mass. 
American School Board Journal, Milwaukee, Wis. 
Arkansas School Journal, Little Rock, Ark. 
Association Review, Washington, D. C. 
Canadian Teacher, Toronto, Can. 
Colorado School Journal, Denver, Col. 
Educator-Journal, Indianapolis, Ind. 
Florida School Exponent, Miami, Fla. 
Journal of Education, Boston, Mass. 
Kindergarten-Primary Magazine, New York City. 
Louisiana School Review, New Orleans. 
Moderator-Topics, Lansing, Mich. 



go PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 

Missouri School Journal, Jefferson City, Mo. 

Midland Schools, Des Moines, la. 

Mississippi School Journal, Jackson, Miss. 

Nebraska Teacher, Lincoln, Neb. 

North Carolina Journal of Education, Raleigh, N. C. 

Ohio Educational Monthly, Columbus, O. 

Ohio Teacher, Athens, O. 

Pennsylvania School Journal, Lancaster, Pa. 

Popular Educator, Boston, Mass. 

Primary Education, Boston, Mass. 

Rocky Mountain Educator, Denver, Colo. 

School and Home Education, Bloomington, 111. 

School Bulletin, Syracuse, N. Y. 

School Education, Minneapolis, Minn. 

School Journal, New York, N. Y. 

School Science and Mathematics, Chicago. 

School News, Taylorville, 111. 

Southern School Journal, Lexington, Ky. 

Texas School Journal, Dallas, Tex. 

Texas School Magazine, Dallas, Tex. 

Western School Journal, Topeka, Kan. 

Western Teacher, Milwaukee, Wis. 

Wisconsin Journal of Education, Madison. 



GENERAL BOOK PUBLISHERS. 



For the benefit of those of our students who may de- 
sire to venture beyond the field of journalism and short 
story authorship, we have compiled this list of reliable 
publishers. 

Henry Altemus, Philadelphia, Pa. 

A. C. Armstrong & Son, New York, N. Y. 

D. Appleton & Co., New York, N. Y. 

The Baker & Talor Co., New York, N. Y. 

The Century Co., New York, N. Y. 

T. Y. Crowell & Co., New York, N. Y. 

Robert Clark & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Dodd, Mead & Co., New York, N. Y. 

Paul Elder & Co., New York, N. Y. 



PROFITABLE AUTHORSHIP 91 

The Funk and Wagnalls Co., New York, N. Y. 
Harper & Brothers, New York, N. Y. 
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass. 
Little, Brown & Co., Boston, Mass. 
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, Boston, Mass. 
A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 111. 
The McClure Co., New York, N. Y. 
The McMillan Co., New York, N. Y. 
Charles Scribner & Sons, New York, N. Y. 



A Final Word 



We advise all of our students, who develop any con- 
siderable literary ability, to aim to produce at least one 
book. Your inclination and circumstances will determine 
what kind of a book that shall be ; whether of fiction, 
philosophy, religion, history, literature or poetry. What- 
ever the field chosen the consciousness of having expressed 
some old thoughts in a new way, or some new thoughts in 
an old way, or some new thoughts in a new way, will 
more than repay the effort made. 

Again we assure you of our willingness to answer any 
questions, and help solve any puzzling problems, for our 
interest in you and your welfare will continue through all 
of your work. 



Our Complete Course in Short Story 
Writing 



In the introduction to the instruction used in our com- 
plete course on Short Story Writing Dr. Esenwein says : 

"The short story, now the most popular literary form, is 
engaging the study of writers unnumbered, and the interest 
of an increasing host of readers. Its art is gradually 
crystallizing, its significance is deepening, and educators 
everywhere are giving courses for its study. This volume 
embodies the practical principles of short story structure 
as recognized by American and British magazine editors, 
and as practised by authors whose products are judged 
to be of the first order. At the same time, the body of 
sound scholarship has not been lost sight of in consider- 
ing the popular and marketable short story, so that the 
treatise is peculiarly adapted to the needs of college and 
senior secondary-school classes, as well as suited to inspire 
and guide the individual writer, amateur or professional, 
who wishes to improve his art. Its preparation has in- 
volved a critical examination of practically every great 
short story now available in print, and many thousands 
of manuscripts read in the course of editorial service. Its 
conclusions, therefore, are seasoned with an intimate 
knowledge of the short story at its best — and at its worst 
— today. The invaluable assistance of brother editors, and 
especially that rendered by the editorial staff of Lippin- 
cott's Magazine, is gratefully acknowledged; as is also 
the discriminating criticism of Professor Albert E. Han- 
cock, of Haverford College, who kindly reviewed the 
proofs." 



We Will Criticise Your Manuscript, Revise 
and Prepare it for the Publisher 



We do expert editorial work of all kinds, and we make 
a specialty of criticising, revising and preparing manu- 
scripts for the editor and publisher. 

Our rates for criticism and typewriting are as low as 
is consistent with the best service. 

RATES. 

Criticism of stories of 5,000 words or less $2.00 

Additional words per thousand, extra 35 

Criticism of verse, five cents a line; minimum fee. . 1.00 
Special rates for Book or Serial manuscripts exceeding 
20,000 words. 

TYPEWRITING. 

Typewriting, including one original and one carbon 
copy of the best workmanship : 

Prose, 5 cents per 100 words, including paper. 

Verse, per 25 lines or fraction thereof, 50 cents. 

Special rates for revision and rewriting are based upon 
the actual work to be done, and can be estimated only 
after the examination of the manuscript. This service 
includes punctuating, paragraphing, correcting sentence 
construction, altering portions of a story, condensing, 
actual rewriting and recasting, etc. 

Stamped, addressed envelopes must accompany all MSS. 

Stamped, addressed envelopes must accompany all let- 
ters requiring an answer. 

THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE CO. 

SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



Helpful Books for Writers 

The writer should be as fully equipped for his work 
as possible. He should study daily and master those 
books bearing upon the technique of his profession. 

In addition to the books mentioned under Tools of the 
Trade, the writer will find those of the following list 
very helpful : — 

English Composition (Wendell) $1.50 

Rhyming Dictionary (Walker) 1.50 

Rogert's Thesaurus 1.50 

Crabb's Synonyms 1.25 

Words, Facts, and Phrases (Edwards) 2.50 

Reader's Hand Book (Brewer) 2.00 

Dictionary of American Authors (Adams) 3.50 

Elements of Rhetoric (Genung) 1.25 

All of these books, or any others that our students may 
need, can be ordered through our office. 

THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE. 



Typewriters at Wholesale 




W/E have arranged with dealers to supply our 
students with any make of typewriter at special 
rates. All machines are guaranteed for a year. 
They will supply reconstructed machines, practically 
as good as new, at wholesale rates. Send for cir- 
cular giving full particulars. 

THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE 



WE WILL RAISE 
YOUR SALARY 



and improve your station 100 per cent. Our mem- 
bers get the best positions and highest salaries. 

Professional and expert instruction by practical 
teachers in the best schools and universities. In- 
struction by mail. 



Would You Like to Be a Successful 


Short Story Writer 


Architect 


Journalist 


Civil Engineer 


Stenographer 


Lawyer 


Advertising Man 


Student of English 


Traveling Salesman 


Student of French 


Accountant 


Student of German 


Agriculturist 


Student of Italian 


Business Correspondent 


High School Student 


Government Employee 


College Student 



Our Courses in Journalism and Short Story Writ- 
ing are under the direction of the United Press Col- 
lege of Correspondence. 

Write name of Course in which you are interested 
on post card and send with your address. Full par- 
ticulars will follow. 

We graduate Specialists and Experts. 

UNIVERSITY EXTENSION LEAGUE 

San Francisco Chicago 

Address nearest office today. 



HOW TO WRITE SALABLE 
SHORT STORIES 

A Thorough and Practical Course in the Art of 
Short Story Writing as Taught 

B y The College of Correspondence 

Under the Direction of the Most Successful 
Editors and Authors 

This series of lessons is designed to discover, develop, 
and direct the talent of inexperienced or unsuccessful 
writers, and to guide and train the literary aspirant 
till he wins success in this vocation. It also aids the 
writer who has already achieved a degree of success 
in literary work and helps him to make the most of 
his ability. 

Edwin H. Hadl'ock, A. B., Ph. D., is the Editor-in- 
Chief of this Course,, and J. Berge Esenwein, A. M., 
Lit. D„ Editor of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine and 
author of several literary works, is the author of the 
instruction. 

Other editors and authors of national repute assist 
in the revision, correction and sale of manuscripts. 
SYNOPSIS OP THE COURSE 

The instruction covers the whole field of story writ- 
ing and embraces such subjects as the following: 
The Rise of the Short Story — Its Present Plaee and 

Power. 
The Nature of the Short Story. 
What a Short Story Is Not. 
What a Short Story Is. 
Kinds of Short Stories. 
The Structure of the Story. 
Choosing a Theme. 
Gathering Material. 
Pact in Fiction — The Plot. 
What Constitutes a Good Plot. 
How to Develop the Plot. 
How to Tell a Story. 
How to Open a Stor.y. 
The Setting of the Story. 
The Body of the Story. 
Characters and Characterization. 
Dialogue and How to Use It. 
The Title of the Story. 

Short Story Style — Preparation for Authorship — Orig- 
inality — Talent and Training. 
How to Acquire a Vocabulary. 
One Hundred Short Story Masterpieces and How to 

Study Them. 
Why Some Stories Are Rejected. 
Success in Writing and Selling the Short Story. 

AN EXTENSIVE COURSE. 

This Course includes all the subjects embraced in 
the shorter course on the Authorship of Short Stories 
as given in our lessons on Journalism and Authorship. 
It also includes the most practical and complete sys- 
tem of instruction ever given on the interesting sub- 
ject of Short Story Writing. 

Can You Dissect a Short Story? 
Can You Talk About a Short Story? 
Can You Write a Short Story? 
Can You Sell Your Short Stories? 
If so this course will help you to do better work. If 
not you need this course before you do any work. 

A New York editor and publisher who has exam- 
ined these lessons says: "Every writer, every editor, 
every critic, every teacher, every student of English, 
every magazine reader, needs these illuminating, force- 
ful lessons. They are a searchlight, a dynamo and a 
treasure-house." 

YOU CAN MAKE MONEY WRITING SHORT STORIES. 
For full particulars concerning this course address 
us today. 

THE UNITED PRESS SYNDICATE 

(Home Office.) 

First National Bank Building, San Francisco. 



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